


can you really call this a crime?

by nudity



Series: let me light you up like a candle [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band), No.MERCY (TV)
Genre: (hoseok has a thing for hyunwoos happy trail), Best Friends, Feelings, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Implied/Referenced Blow Jobs, M/M, Nipple Play, Pining, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Bed, Sleepovers, Slight Body Hair Kink, im gonna rot in hell at this point omf H, is wonu even a thing, it needs to be a thing, it's a birthday fic even though hyunwoo's birthday was like five months ago oops, lea ve me be, wonhoe is shameless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-04-29 14:46:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5131508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nudity/pseuds/nudity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hoseok feels the pout form on his lips before he realizes it's there. As he watches the gentle rise and fall of Hyunwoo's chest just a few inches away, he thinks that, aside from the usual praise about how handsome he is, there’s a certain peace that drapes over him when he sleeps and he looks even more stunning. But the thought is immediately followed by one of ridicule because Hoseok really needs to stop pining so hard after his best friend. Hyunwoo doesn't love him like that. Hyunwoo isn't into boys. Hyunwoo is straight. He doesn't love Hoseok the way Hoseok loves him, the way Hoseok wants him to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hoseok (yes i said it) is/will always be a 92-liner, you can't tell me shit

Never has Hoseok had the privilege of organizing a special event. No one has ever asked for his advice before, and he’s never really given it anyway. So it came as a surprise when, the morning after one of his frequent sleepovers, Hyunwoo’s mother pulled him aside and asked for his input on Hyunwoo’s birthday party.

At first he felt honored to play a role in the planning. But then they started getting to the meat of it all - picking themes, sending out notices, buying gifts - and the anxiety set in. It was Hoseok’s job to find out what Hyunwoo wanted to do for his birthday and he had no idea how to ask without spilling the beans.

Thankfully D-Day arrives before he has a chance to open his big mouth. Hoseok shows up at his house at noon and drags him off while his parents get the house party-ready. They go the mall and Hoseok buys him lunch, then they hit up the arcade - it’s a nice little affair. And another plus - Hyunwoo doesn’t suspect a thing, not even when Hoseok slips up and mentions the cake waiting for him at home as they pass the pastry shop on the way back.

The collective “surprise!” greeting them when Hoseok leads him into the living room is deafening, but the smile on Hyunwoo’s face says it all. He loves it.

Everything about the party, even the events leading up to it, is perfect in Hoseok’s eyes. All of the family’s board games are dispersed around the room for the guests to play. One of their close friends, Jooheon, claims the title of DJ and makes it a point to keep the mood light with the latest hits. Hyunwoo’s mother fires up their grill and they all overload on samgyupsal and tteokbokki and all of the birthday boy’s favorite meats.

And when it’s time to sing, Hoseok and Hyunwoo’s parents deliver three different cakes to Hyunwoo’s table. It doesn’t help that Hyunwoo lights up like the Eiffel Tower at midnight when he catches sight of him trekking from the kitchen in between his parents. Hoseok can’t help the toothy grin he flashes, and he’s pretty sure there’s a cherry-red blush spreading like wildfire across his cheeks when their gazes meet. Hyunwoo looks stunning under dimmed lights.

(Call him crazy but Hoseok really wants to replace the cake in his hands with his best friend’s face. But he can’t so he swallows the urge, sets the decorated mass of sugary sweetness before his best friend, and backs away to allow for pictures.)

Kihyun serenades Hyunwoo in a slower, honey-vocal version of the birthday song before doing it again much faster, allowing everyone to join in. They eat cake and laugh and talk about Hyunwoo as a child compared to now. When the sun sets everyone goes out to the driveway and lights sparklers to celebrate the manifestation of eighteen years of life.

(Hoseok takes a lot of pictures throughout, most of them are of Hyunwoo.)

Seven rolls around much quicker than expected, Hoseok notices as people begin to bid their farewells. Soon enough the last few guests file out of the house in a group, and the only people remaining are him, Hyunwoo, and his parents.

(Every year Hoseok sleeps over for Hyunwoo’s birthday; he’s not about to disrupt tradition.)

Before they get to relax, however, they spend time cleaning up to get the house back to its original state. Thankfully they had a group of courteous guests who placed their trash where it belonged, so there isn’t much to pick up. While his parents tidy up the living room, the boys stand in front of the sink, washing and drying and scrubbing and scrubbing some more. He would never admit it aloud, but Hoseok really likes when Hyunwoo’s hand accidentally grazes against his while they work.

When they finish up with the dishes, Hoseok vacuums and Hyunwoo wipes down the dinner table. Eventually his parents, seeing no reason in tying them down with unnecessary chores, release them. The duo scrambles up the stairs like distraught tasmanian devils, gifts and cards and a few slices of cake in hand.

“You gonna open them now?” Hoseok asks the minute they settle all their loot on Hyunwoo’s tiny little twin bed. The birthday boy purses his lips, briefly contemplating opening up all the gifts before him. There are three large cerulean bags, a mini green one, a few boxes wrapped terribly in Christmas wrapping - probably Changkyun the Troll’s doing - and fifteen or so cards.

“I think so,” he says quietly, staring down in awe at the mass of presents before him. He knew people loved him, just not this much. Hyunwoo slowly plants himself on the bed, and Hoseok joins a moment later, crawling over his lap to bypass the mess and safely retrieve his cake. Hyunwoo remains silent at he picks up the small wrapped boxes on the edge of the bed.

“Dude,” Hoseok chuckles softly, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You okay, man? You look like you just saw Jesus or something.” The comment successfully breaks Hyunwoo from his trance; his eyes light up and his mouth curves easily. “No, no, I take that back,” Hoseok’s grip tightens for a split second. He looks up at the ceiling as if it’ll bring the answer to him, then - “ _Earlier_ you looked like you’d seen Jesus. Now you just look like a deer in headlights.” But, really, what’s the difference?

“When was the Jesus look?” Hyunwoo frowns, fingering the thin red string messily tied around one of his gifts. He thinks he sees a chicken scratch version of _jaebum_ written on the space provided, but Hoseok’s voice draws his attention away and he loses interest in finding out if he’s right.

“When I brought the cake out,” he replies, smacking his lips to help dissolve the icing in his mouth.

Hyunwoo stares openly, watches his best friend’s mouth work the white substance into nothingness. (He has a tough time trying to think of something else, or better yet, _look away_.)

“Hell,” Hoseok says, chewing. “You’ve looked like that all day. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen your eyes get _that_ wide for so long.” Before he gets caught, Hyunwoo averts his gaze to his crossed legs and grumbles a rather amused and completely harmless ‘fuck off.’ Hoseok laughs. “I’m just bein’ honest,” he supplies a moment later, mindlessly bouncing side to side, shifting his weight around.

Hyunwoo still looks like he’s happy, though, which is a good thing. Hoseok likes when Hyunwoo is happy.

A second later, he reaches over and sets the cardboard plate, previously occupied by a delicious slice of red velvet cake, next to a minibag. He takes a stack of cards, each with a different colored envelope and handwriting, and tosses them into Hyunwoo's hand.

"Start small, get bigger," he states, watching curiously as the younger begins to undo the binding of the first card. It's a messy process, Hyunwoo rips the envelope completely just trying to get the flap open.

"In all my eighteen years of life I've never actually gotten that right," he says a moment later, when the card slides out from the terribly handled envelop. “I was actually hoping to do it right just this once.”

"Throw that shit on your bucket list, then," Hoseok muses. "I'm always adding to mine since, y'know, there's a bunch of stuff I wanna do before I die."

"Like Hyorin noona." Mischief is written all over the grin Hyunwoo flashes him.

But it’s wiped away in less than a second when Hoseok mumbles rather nonchalantly, "Hyorin is overrated."

Hyunwoo snorts like the comment doesn’t faze him, but he really feels surprised because that's definitely new. Usually Hoseok is the one in their group talking about how nice it would be to sleep around with all the pretty seniors. To hear that he thinks Hyorin, one of the school's most cherished seniors, is overrated is something.

"I think she's pretty?" Hyunwoo offers with a face that says he thinks Hoseok would shoot him down for even saying something in her defense. But Hoseok wouldn't. Hyunwoo could shoot the president point-blank and he would think nothing of it. Hoseok would probably be right by his side, helping him plan the murder.

“Yeah, of course she’s pretty. All women are beautiful.” _But they’re not you._  (Hoseok really wants to say that, but it wouldn’t be right to bust it out on him.) “But everyone loves her, I don’t want to be just another fan. I want someone unconventional, y’know?” _I just want you._

“I see,” Hyunwoo shrugs and opens the card and ignores the money that subsequently falls out. The older boy waits in silence as his smiling eyes dart across the paper.

“What’s it say?” he asks when the curiosity becomes too great. He doesn’t like the way Hyunwoo is smiling at it, anyway.

“ _‘Shownu-yah! You’re 18 now! Don’t think of it as getting older! Look at it as being a little closer to senior discounts! Happy birthday!’_ ”

“Oh my God, did Bora send you this?”

Hyunwoo’s eyes travel down to the tiny, cutely written Yoon Bora written in the corner of the card. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

“She’s been obsessed with these _someecards_ memes for months. Showed me this one when she came over, like, three weeks ago.”

Hyunwoo falters at the last bit. “She went to _your_ house?”

“Yeah, my family was hosting the planning committee’s meeting that week. You were at swim practice or something,” Hoseok explains easily. “We were in my room since the adults didn’t need us yet. Got, like, halfway through some cheesy rom com on Netflix.”

Hyunwoo nods. “Well, she gave me eighteen bucks, so I guess that’s okay? Who’s next?”

The card is from Hyungwon. “ _‘Happy birthday to one of the few people whose birthday I remember without a Facebook reminder!’_ ” Hoseok reads before laughing. “Dude, all your cards are literally memes, what the fuck.”

Hyunwoo takes the card away and reads for himself. A second later he laughs. “You totally did that shit on purpose.”

“No, I swear to God, I didn’t!” Hoseok raises his arms in defense. Hyunwoo places the card next to Bora’s before going for an uneaten slice of cake.

“Can you open the next one, too? This cake is too good.” He doesn’t question why a slice of cake would hinder his ability to open a present, but Hoseok can’t bring himself to disobey. He leans forward and takes the stack of cards, recognizing in particular the handwriting on a rather loud pink envelope.

“Oh,” he says, effortlessly ripped the envelope to shreds. “Look who sent you something.” The card itself feels heavier than usual, so Hoseok knows that money isn’t what he’s getting. He realizes he’s right when he opens it and the gift - _not_ money - drops out like Bora’s did before. Hyunwoo picks it up.

“It’s a Starbucks gift card,” he announces after a quick examination. “What does the card say?”

“ _‘May your coffee be as strong as your brow game. Happy birthday, Shownu! Chu~’_ ”

“How clever of her.”

“What’s with chicks and eyebrow games these days? Why is it even a game? How do you play it?” He isn’t kidding when he says that all women are beautiful, but there’s still some things about them he really won’t understand. (Which is probably one of the reasons he likes guys.)

“I don’t get it, either, man,” Hyunwoo scrunches his nose. “Let’s just open some other gifts, yeah?”

Hoseok doesn’t even complain.

 

.

 

Four slices of cake, a two-liter bottle of coke, and three huge gift bags later, there ends up being more cards than physical gifts, but neither Hoseok nor Hyunwoo have a problem with it.

Hyungwon and Minhyuk, responsible for both cards and the huge gift bag at the corner of his bed, combined their money and bought him a new pair of shoes, some brand name clothing, and a new watch. Kihyun, the clumsy shit he is, forgot to bring his present but promised him at the party to have it when they got together in a few days. Changkyun blessed him with a whole box of video games on his wish list, but Hyunwoo has to dig through memed wrapping paper to get to them. (“I swear to God, if I see another meme...” “Okay, but, dude - it’s _Changkyun the Troll_ , what can you expect.”) Gunhee and Jooheon sent him a mixtape of their favorite songs, and though Hoseok doesn’t really see the logic behind thinking of those nutjobs on his birthday, Hyunwoo is satisfied.

\- Well. _Partially_ satisfied. Looking at all his gifts now, he thinks that they’re all great. But they aren’t enough - or, really, something’s missing. And Hyunwoo knows exactly what that ‘something’ is. He’s been looking forward to Hoseok’s gift the most, but his best friend’s already played a huge role in his birthday anyway, so he doesn’t mind if he doesn’t get anything physical. Really, he stopped expecting materialistic presents at twelve. He’s never really even cared for _things_ in general. All Hyunwoo needs are simple birthday wishes and spending time with his friends. Making memories is more important.

But still.

When they organize the presents around the room, Hyunwoo finally speaks what’s been on his mind since the beginning of the week.

“Did you, erm - did you, y’know, get me anything?”

Hoseok, in the middle of arranging his video games, tries to fight the grin, but loses the battle and stops. “Yeah, actually.” Swiveling around to face Hyunwoo, he holds up a hand and simply says, “Wait here.”

Hyunwoo drops the giant, trash-filled gift bag and watches Hoseok fly out of the room without another word. Confused, he sits down on the bed.

A few minutes later Hoseok barges into the room, panting, but this time he isn’t empty-handed. In his hands are two small objects, both covered perfectly in striped wrapping paper. “Here,” he surges forward, stopping only when their knees bump, and shoves the presents into his lap. Hyunwoo smiles up at him, graciously receiving the presents. He takes a step back to calm himself down and watches the birthday boy pick up the one of his left leg, smaller but wider than its counterpart. His eyes are wide with wonder as he undoes the wrapping.

He examines the box slowly, turning it on its side, taking note of the black _Fujifilm_ written in small letters at the top. “A polaroid camera?”

Hoseok nods excitedly. “Open the other one, it goes with it.” Hyunwoo doesn’t look up at him, but he can hear the smile in Hoseok’s voice.

The other one is much larger than the first gift, but it’s flat and greatly resembles a small journal, with rounded edges and an engraving Hyunwoo can feel on the cover. Hyunwoo does as he’s told and quickly rips the paper off. It isn’t a journal he sees, but rather a scrapbook, full of empty pages.

“I know you don’t really, y’know, care for stuff for your birthday, even if you’re, like, lowkey whipped when it comes to fuckboy merch.” Hoseok, calm enough, sits down and places a cautious hand on his thigh. It feels thick and warm. “ - but I was walking past an electronics shop one rare occasion when we weren’t together, and I saw this.” His hand rises from Hyunwoo’s thigh and gently pats on the camera box. “I figured - _hey, he cherishes his memories, why not get sentimental_  - and so I bought it thinking you’d like to take pictures of your favorite moments in life. Or, y’know, take pictures just whenever you see something that makes you happy.

“A-And the scrapbook, of course,” he stutters, tapping the other present. “It’s obviously where you, y’know, store those pictures. The blank lines on the side of each page are for logging purposes. You can, uh, put whatever you feel is significant there.” Hoseok’s voice shakes as he explains the logic, not out of nervousness but rather a gentle excitement. Like he’s done his research on a topic and he’s bursting to tell people about it.

Hyunwoo’s fingers caress the laminated cover. He smiles faintly when he opens it and greets a photo already placed in the first sheet.

The picture shows much younger Hoseok and him together at Minhyuk’s Halloween dance, all smiles and laughter. Both are essentially dressed as Count Dracula (though Hyunwoo insisted he was costumed as Nosferatu without knowing the two were basically the same). Hyunwoo’s eyes, lined with red and covered by gray contact lenses, are crescent-shaped due to his grin.  Hoseok, with undercut hair and crimson red contacts, has his face mashed against his. It seems like it would be uncomfortable, but neither looks fazed then and neither feels like they would’ve been fazed now. Hoseok’s got one arm thrown over Hyunwoo’s shoulders as always, and his other reaching out towards the camera as though he’s the one taking the photo.

That was the night Hoseok was certain he was in love with Son Hyunwoo.

“This is from that Halloween party,” Hyunwoo murmurs as he runs a finger across the image, which still looks as fresh as the moment it was taken. “What year was that?”

“I’m pretty sure we were freshman,” Hoseok replies softly.

“God, we looked like fetuses.”

“Aw,” Hyunwoo pokes his bottom lip out and Hoseok gets the faintest urge to bite it, “But we were some pretty sexy fetuses that night.”

“That we were.” Hoseok watches the birthday boy take out his new camera and sets it up in awed silence. He looks gorgeous when he concentrates, brow furrowed, eyes narrow, lips as kissable as ever. The older’s heart picks up at the thought of taking Hyunwoo’s face into his hands. But he reminds himself that they’re only friends, they can’t do stuff like that. “So, yeah,” he bites his lip, suddenly nervous, “Happy eighteenth, Son Hyunwoo. I hope we can keep making thousands of memories together forever.”

At that Hyunwoo’s eyes finally flick toward Hoseok’s and he smiles a genuine one, one easily capable of melting even the toughest person’s heart. “Thank you,” Hyunwoo smiles. “Really, thank you.” It makes his heart flutter ferociously.

After gift opening ends, they hook up the XBox for a few brutal rounds of _Advanced Warfare_ , followed by a more peaceful session of _FIFA 15_. And by peaceful he totally means they spend half an hour hollering at the screen from either happiness or agony - usually every time either one of them scores or something shitty in general just happens. Hoseok doesn’t usually lose to Hyunwoo when they play against each other, but this time - maybe because it’s his birthday - he lets the boy pummel him into the ground.

When they get tired of playing (aka when Hyunwoo’s mother barges in and tells them to hush because it’s midnight and people have to get up early), Hyunwoo pops Jooheon’s mixtape into his old stereo and the two curl up on the bed to listen. Hyunwoo fiddles with the camera and Hoseok with Hyunwoo's new phone.

Most of the tracks are pretty hype, save for the few slower R&B beats Hyunwoo more often gravitates toward. They both like it. Jooheon’s producing capability is coming along.

Around the seventh track, things get quiet. Hyunwoo, finished with setting up the camera, lifts his head from the pillow to look at Hoseok, who’s face is at the other end of his bed. His eyes are closed but he's nodding to the beat so he's still awake. "Today was fun,” he sighs aloud after having kept silent for so long.

Hoseok cracks an eye open, craning his neck to look at the other. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I love all my birthdays, but I think this one was my favorite so far."

"Yeah?" Hoseok smiles, his heart warming at the news. "What moment did you like best?" He feels like a kid asking his parent’s their favorite part of a movie.

A near-silent grunt greets his ears as Hyunwoo shifts in his spot, turning onto his side. "My favorite part?" Hoseok hums in response, blinking slowly. When he looks at Hyunwoo he sees the concentration etched into his features. After a moment, Hyunwoo suddenly chuckles. "I can't decide,” he announces when he sees the confusion on his best friend’s face. “I’m stuck between seeing you for the first time today, seeing you bring the cake out, and the afterparty." He's probably never going to admit it to Hyunwoo but Hoseok likes the fact that all his favorite moments from today include him.

Hyunwoo props his head on his arm and stares absently at Hoseok’s feet. A second later he shifts again, so that his eyes land easily on Hoseok’s. “What about you, what was your favorite part?” Hoseok purses his lips but their gazes stay locked. He could easily say the whole day because, well, it really was.

“Probably taking pictures of everything going on,” he conjures instead. “By the way - ” he tosses Hyunwoo his phone before feeling for the laptop in his personal bag “ - I have everything from today saved in a new folder.” Hyunwoo sits up slowly, unlocking the phone as he leans on the headboard.

“You changed the screensaver,” he says quietly.

Hoseok doesn’t look up from the screen. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

The picture _used_ to be of the entire group at the skate park, a few days into spring. Now it’s the picture from a few weeks ago - _just_ him and Hyunwoo standing in front of the mirror at the dance studio after practice. Hyunwoo’s shirtless, his hair damp with sweat; he’s looking down at the phone and smiling cutely. By his side Hoseok, more clothed than him, flexes an arm to showcase his muscles, his Cheshire grin flashing brightly.

“N-Nothing,” Hyunwoo blinks, scrolling through the apps to find the gallery.

“Do you like it?” Hoseok’s voice is small, curious.

“O-Of _course_? Nobody could resist _this_ beautiful body.” It all comes out in stutters, though Hyunwoo is clearly aiming for casual. He knows he’s missed his mark by a mile when his best friend snickers. At any rate, Hoseok doesn’t let his failure to appear unfazed get in the way of the thoughts running through his own brain. He desperately wants to scream that he could do a lot with that “beautiful body” of Hyunwoo’s but the idea of _just friends_ is quite intrusive. So, instead of replying, he releases a huff of breath to show his amusement. Hyunwoo takes the quiet laughter as his cue to smile, and then his attention is back on the phone. And just as Hoseok said, there’s a brand new folder dedicated to his party. “ _Jesus_ , a hundred photos?”

Hoseok hums, typing in his login information onto the keyboard. “Sounds about right,” he says a moment later. “And that’s after deleting some. You should’ve seen the original count, it got near three hundred.” Hyunwoo doesn’t respond, just scrolls through each individual picture looking about at curious as an infant.

A comfortable silence ensues. Hoseok taps feverishly at the keyboard, playing a computer game. Hyunwoo scrolls through all the pictures on his phone though he’s seen them all hundreds of times over.

It isn’t until around 2AM that Hoseok begins to feel the fatigue of more than twelve hours of nonstop fun slamming into him. His fingers are beginning to tire, his eyelids are growing heavy, and he’s making dumb mistakes on the first night of _Five Nights at Freddy’s_. From the corner of his eye he can see Hyunwoo’s eyes rolling all over, his focus running in and out. “Y’know what,” he yawns.

“Mm” is the only thing he hears.

“I think I’m tired?”

“Mhm.”

“Bedtime?”

“Bedtime.”

With a sigh Hoseok clicks out of the game and proceeds to shutdown the laptop. He lifts his arms, stretches rather obnoxiously, and closes it when he sees the screen is black. Hyunwoo sits up at the noise, locking Hoseok’s phone. He watches his friend climb over his legs to get off the bed before getting up himself. The older boy places the laptop on the other side of the bed, closer to the XBox, before scratching under his top.

Hyunwoo throws his feet over the bed. He grabs the fabric of his t-shirt and tugs it over his head with ease. Hoseok turns just in time to catch him pull it off and walk it the nearby hamper, which he believes Hyunwoo did on purpose. The birthday boy is perfectly capable of landing the clothes in the hamper but he chooses to stand and inadvertently flash his broad chest and beautiful arms and, _God_ , the happy trail. Hoseok doesn’t really find himself aroused by the thought of body hair, but something definitely happens whenever Hyunwoo decides it’s okay to walk around the house in nothing but gym shorts, exposing an unshaved line of hair running down the middle of his body. He doesn’t see the logic in the act but he doesn’t question it either. If Hyunwoo wants to bless him with the sight of a beautifully sculpted torso because he feels like it, then Hoseok is down.

“Hey,” he calls softly, tongue hooked in the corner of his mouth. Hyunwoo hums, still running hands through his hair. (Hoseok would actually give a lot to do that for him.) “What did you wish for?”

“What?” Hyunwoo frowns.

“When you blew out your birthday candles earlier,” he nods in the direction of the living room, “What did you wish for? New exercise gear? Pretty girlfriend? Nice car with keys to match?”

The realization hits. “I can't tell you,” is his simple reply, but the smile he sees creeping onto his face speaks thousands.

Hoseok pouts. “Why not?” Hyunwoo - well. _Usually_ Hyunwoo tells him things like this. But then again, Hoseok’s never actually asked _this_ question. He’s never really thought to before. He doesn’t even know why he said it now.

“It would defeat the purpose of me making a wish in the first place,” he mumbles while rummaging through the drawer. It takes Hoseok to realize he’s already stripped down to underwear. And _boy_ does his ass look nice in those boxers. “Did you bring night clothes?”

“ _C'mon_ , man,” Hoseok whines softly, stepping out of his own jeans. “We're best friends, we tell each other everything - ”

“ _Hoseok_ \- ”

The boy groans, “ _No_ , I didn’t bring night clothes. Now why won’t you tell me about your birthday wish?”

Hyunwoo mumbles rather exasperatedly he notices, “You know what they say about telling people your wishes.”

“Okay, but what do they say that's honestly ever right?” Hoseok stomps to the bed after setting the old clothes in his bag. “Why do you even believe that bull? You've told me wishes before that have come true.” He complains while sliding underneath the thin white sheets. “Who the hell is ' _they_ ' anyway? People are always like, ‘Oh, don’t do this, _they_ say it’s bad for that.’ Who gave ‘ _they_ ’ the right to dictate my life? Bitch, I do what I _want_.”

Hyunwoo chuckles, he _actually_ chuckles like Hoseok isn’t being serious as fuck right now. A second later he flips the lights off, and the room is blanketed in darkness. “But this is different.” Hoseok slides closer to the wall to make room for him. Hyunwoo slips into bed slowly, now sporting a loose tank, the type that has low-cut sides and exposes as much flesh as it covers. “This wish is…special,” Hyunwoo smiles shyly _again_ , which makes Hoseok _really_ want to know what was going through his mind before.

He whimpers softly, “Even special enough to keep it from your _best_ friend?” Hyunwoo chuckles, Hoseok can feel his breath on his nose. It dawns on him then just how small the boy’s bed is. They sleep like this all the time, and he’s realized they’re always close a thousand times over - but Hoseok will always feel as though it’s his first time being in close proximity with Hyunwoo every time this moment comes. And Hyunwoo is even more beautiful up close and personal.

“Stop trying to guilt trip me,” Hyunwoo huffs, whipping out his phone and clicking around for the music player. “It’s even special enough to keep it from you.” Hoseok doesn’t like the sound of it, and he knows Hyunwoo knows that he doesn’t, but his attempts to coax the wish out of him are pretty much futile. “Look,” the birthday boy - who isn’t really the birthday boy anymore because it’s officially Friday - reassures while placing on of his earbuds in his ear. Lately he’s been listening to music while he sleeps. “It’s nothing bad or illegal or whatever other stupid shit you’re thinking. I just...I wanna keep this one to myself this one time.” Hoseok _really_ doesn’t like the sound of it. “If I tell you it'll ruin the whole thing and I really don't want that.”

It almost hurts to know that Hoseok knowing will fuck up the wish. It’s like saying Hyunwoo can’t trust him with something as simple as a stupid birthday wish. He finds that a bit rude. But at the same time, his desire to know is still there. Why won’t Hyunwoo tell him? Who would Hoseok even tell? He was good at keeping secrets, he’d kept a lot from Hyunwoo already - what was one more?

And like that - Hoseok realizes just how selfish he’s being. Here he is, bugging Hyunwoo about one little silly wish, yet he’d kept a whole slew of feelings away from him. How unfair was he being if he honestly expected to get his way?

“Yeah, okay,” he nods. Hyunwoo’s eyes land on him. His smile is almost apologetic. It makes Hoseok feel even more guilty. He shouldn’t have pushed so hard like a nosy child. Hyunwoo doesn’t owe him enough to reveal the _one_ secret he thinks is worth keeping to himself. If he doesn’t want to tell, he doesn’t have to. Hoseok clears his throat, trying to dispel the awkward vibe floating out of nowhere. “Just promise me you’ll tell me when it comes true, yeah?” Hoseok turns over before Hyunwoo can see the blush dusting his cheeks, but he completely misses the one on Hyunwoo’s.

“Ah,” he taps _play_ and places the other bud in, “I think you’ll know when that happens.”

It sounds weird - _you’ll know when that happens_ \- but Hoseok doesn’t think about that all too tough. If what Hyunwoo says is true, then he won’t bother questioning it. Hoseok’s okay with waiting. He just listens to the soft hum of music filtering from Hyunwoo’s earphones. Soon enough, the heaviness of his eyelids becomes too much to bear and he’s giving in to the call of sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> misleading description is misleading af im so sorry
> 
> (pt.ii coming soon)


	2. Chapter 2

 

In the middle of the night he gets too hot. Summertime is always the worst, even when they have the A/C kicked on high and the ceiling fan spreading hurricane force winds across the bedroom. Maybe it’s because Hyunwoo is naturally warmer so the heat spreads, maybe Hoseok just feels like freezing this time. Either way, he shoves his share of the covers onto Hyunwoo’s half of the bed and rolls over onto the side facing Hyunwoo.

Through hazy and completely unreliable vision he thinks he sees Hyunwoo staring back at him looking flushed and wide-eyed. But Hyunwoo sleeps with his eyes open all the time. Many times he’s woken up to the boy’s glassy stare (and many times he’s shrieked out of fear and accidentally woken up Hyunwoo, too). Hoseok’s still too exhausted to function so he ignores the boy and closes his burning, dry eyes. Sleep is nice.

 

.

 

When Hoseok wakes up again, he wakes up for good but it’s still far earlier than he expects. The lights are off; only a stream of dimmed sunlight comes in from behind the drapes. But it isn’t late in the day. Whatever time it is, he knows it’s not their usual time to be up. Hyunwoo’s dad isn’t scrambling around trying to find his clip-on tie, late for work. The house sounds too quiet. Obviously everyone’s still asleep. He doesn’t smell the pancakes or bacon or anything, either.

Though, if he smells anything at all - it’s chicken flavoring.

Hoseok frowns with eyes still closed. _Ms. Son doesn’t usually make spicy stuff this early_ floats to the front of his mind. And it’s true. It’s clearly morning - or just a few hours after they’d fallen asleep, really - but there’s a powerful smell creeping his way, as opposed to the faint scent of butter and eggs and flour mix being poured into a hot pan. Hyunwoo’s mother would never send her husband off to work with a stomach full of spicy noodles and chicken.  It wasn’t the least bit logical and, in Hoseok’s past experiences staying at Hyunwoo’s, pairing Mr. Son with spices in general was simply a recipe for disaster. She always made American-style breakfast.

Having had enough of the internal debate, Hoseok sighs heavily and shifts his weight from one hip to the other, somehow managing to roll onto his back. His arm involuntarily springs out farther than he means for it to. It collides with Hyunwoo’s thigh.

He cocks his head to the side and up, cracks one eye open, ignoring the pain that comes with it, and meets the sight of Hyunwoo propped up against the headboard, staring sleepily down at a steaming black bowl. Hyunwoo looks like a squirrel when he eats, except he’s harmless and a lot less jumpy. But his cheeks are full and his mouth is moving in a slow, concentrated motion.

The sight makes Hoseok acutely aware of how empty he is. They ate cake earlier, which kept them running for a good few hours. But now he’s slept off the fullness, or rather - his stomach’s digested what was ingested - and he could go for some more. Not even a second after the thought of asking for some food, a gurgling sound erupts from the depths of his stomach, rising from underneath the covers to confirm and announce his hunger. Hoseok ignores the heat that flares up at his neck and grows bold enough to open his other eye. It still burns just as he thought it would. He blinks a few times, frowning even deeper as he tries to see through bleariness.

Hyunwoo, still chewing, casts his attention to the older as he eases his way onto his elbows. He watches silently as Hoseok plants himself at the head of the bed and leans into him tiredly. No words are exchanged, not even when their meet eyes - but he understands.

A second later Hoseok feels the bowl pressing into his abdomen. He looks down and, past the noodles that remain, sees his reflection staring back at him. There’s a mass of hair pushing out to the side, the bags under his eyes stick out like ugly lumps of fat, and he basically looks like death warmed over.

With a silent nod of thanks, he hunches forward, bringing noodles to his lips, and sucks them in viciously. A second later, the spice of way too many jalapeño peppers explodes on his tongue but he swallows it down without complaining. The noodles slides down his throat slowly, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

It’s things like this, the simple but profound shit like waking up at some godforsaken hour and doing something really unorthodox, that make Hoseok go weak for Hyunwoo. He isn’t lying when he says he wants to do and have the unconventional with his partner. Not only does he _not_ want a girl to love - he doesn’t want it to be that boring ass stereotypical shit that he sees in the movies or even, dare he say, at school. Well, Hyunwoo does just the opposite of what they’ve seen in class and whatnot, anyway, which is what Hoseok’s always wanted. He’s the epitome of simplicity but at the same rate Hoseok can never get enough of his spontaneity; it’s what makes him special.

He hands the bowl back, watching tiredly as Hyunwoo takes his share. And like a game of table tennis in slow motion they go back and forth, passing the bowl and swallowing _Samyang_ ramen until nothing remains.

When they reach the bottom, Hoseok has the bowl. All he can see is his reflection, but it’s dull and obsidian this time. By now he looks halfway decent and feels about as alert as a child on a sugar high. Hyunwoo is looking down, too, looking stoic as ever even if his face is swollen from sleep.

They share no words. Hyunwoo simply takes the bowl from him and sets it aside, replacing it with a glass of water. As if he knows Hoseok’s about to feel the burn in a few seconds and is prepared to deal with the spice’s after effects.

Hoseok takes it graciously. Hyunwoo watches him gulp the whole thing down in one go, doesn’t even complain that he wants some, too - just takes the glass and sets it next to the bowl.

It’s simple and Hoseok, through all his fatigue and his bedhead, loves it.

They sit in a comfortable, pregnant silence afterward, with him leaning gently on Hyunwoo’s thick arms and Hyunwoo himself staring ahead at nothing. Something deep down, an urge to burrow his way underneath said arm, rouses. He and Hyunwoo are already close, and Hyunwoo is warm, and Hoseok is attracted to warmth when Hyunwoo’s in the same equation, and he just wants to wrap around the boy and fall asleep.

But Hoseok ignores that urge.

“What - ” he clears his throat once the feeling dies. “What’re you doing up so early?” His voice is sleep laden and hoarse, embarrassing.

Hyunwoo doesn’t respond at first, still staring tiredly at his turned-off TV. Hoseok flicks his forearm and the boy looks at him, trance broken. “Me?”

“Well, no one else is around so I would assume, _yes_ , you.”

The smile that follows is sheepish and slow to appear. “Parents,” he murmurs absently. “They got called in early, woke me up to lock the door.” Hoseok hums. “You?”

Hoseok had one of those black sleeps, where he sleeps likes a rock and doesn’t even have a dream relevant enough to remember. “I don’t know, either,” he offers. “My body was just done resting, maybe?” It’s probably the complete opposite of how he actually feels, but if he tells Hyunwoo he could use another hour the younger would make him go back to sleep.

(Okay, maybe not _make_ him go back to sleep, but. Hyunwoo would simply propose that he rest more and Hoseok would listen to him and fall back asleep quickly because he’s always obedient to Hyunwoo and would never hesitate to comply even with his slightest suggestions.)

Hyunwoo nods slowly. “That’s cool,” comes his whispered reply. Even when he whispers it’s far too quiet, but that could be because Hyunwoo’s parents have already left for work.

He forces a rather asleep arm under his pillow and probes tiredly for a phone. It takes him one second, two, before he feels the familiar metal and drags it from underneath the pillow. It’s Hyunwoo’s phone but Hoseok doesn’t really care, he just wants the time.

8:02 AM.

 _Oh_ , he thinks. “It’s early.”

“Are, um…” Hyunwoo begins. “Are you gonna go back to sleep?” And if if Hoseok isn’t mistaken he thinks he may hear a sliver of shyness mixing into his tone. He rises from his position, pursing his lips as he pulls himself into a stretch.

He could use another hour, like he thought. But Hyunwoo is awake and seems like he wants him to be awake with him. Hoseok thinks it’s obvious which is more important.

“ _Nope_ ,” he yawns, thrusting his arms into the air to stretch. “I’m up.” When he feels the satisfying sensation of bones popping coming to an end, Hoseok sighs loudly and lets his body hit the headboard. Hyunwoo says nothing, just pulls his legs up to his chest. But there’s a faint smile played on his lips. Like he’s pleased that he’s not going to be alone. Hoseok finds it absurd that he might think such things. Hyunwoo could easily ask for Hoseok to stay with him. The older boy would do it in a heartbeat, would stay awake forever just to make sure he never felt lonely, if doing so for eternity was actually possible.

(For... _science_ , Hoseok wants to Google the world record for longest recorded period during which a person voluntarily went without sleep, but that would look odd in comparison to all the other searches he’s made in the history of having his phone.)

But, since he’s proclaimed that he’s up, Hoseok thinks it would be wise to do something to uphold said promise. The temptation to return to dreamland can be strong, therefore self-occupation is key.

The first thing to come to mind that he needs to do is pee. Everyone pees when they first wake up, right? Right.

“Where’re you going?” the younger asks when he crawls by and slides out of bed. Hoseok hisses, an attempt to imitate the sound of urine hitting a toilet bowl, and Hyunwoo says no more.

Hoseok flits down the hall, not without taking note of its darkness, and quickly relieves himself. It doesn’t take long, maybe two or three minutes. When he returns Hyunwoo is positioned against the wall, now closer to the TV. It’s playing quietly in junction with the hum of the draft cascading from the floor vent.

Though, when he sees what’s on the twenty-two inch screen - “ _Pororo_?” - the quiet atmosphere is disturbed by an incredulous cackle.

“Don’t judge,” is all he receives in response, but the frown lines deepen as Hyunwoo concentrates on the animated penguin and its friends. He’s always been a sucker for the shows way out of his age group. Hyunwoo just likes kids in general. Likes their innocence and their fearlessness and their optimism.

Hyunwoo is almost like a kid. Kinda. _Well_ , he ponders, _everyone has that kid inside them. But_ day-to-day _Hyunwoo is almost like a kid._

It doesn’t take long for the older boy to let go of the laughter. He soon replaces it with observant silence, choosing to watch Hyunwoo from his spot not to far away.

Hyunwoo is innocent in the way that he doesn’t let _things_ change him into something he knows he isn’t. But at the same time, he isn’t naïve. He knows himself just like he knows all about the bad stuff he can find around him; he curses and make jokes and embraces his hormonal, teenaged nature when he feels the need to. Hyunwoo is actually smart, unlike half the people at their school. He doesn’t let that side of his nature affect him and his personality as a whole.

Then there’s his fearlessness, which is where Hoseok thinks the boy’s spontaneity and optimism spawn from. The belief that he can do anything even if it crosses the borders of sanity and transcends theoretical possibility. It leads the way to a whole shitload of other qualities that Hoseok could probably go on about, probably till he dies.

“What’re you doing?” Hyunwoo’s amused tone interrupts everything flowing through his brain. Hoseok blinks at him, vaguely confused. “You’ve been staring at me for, like, three minutes.”

“‘m sorry,” he mumbles, trying to will away the heat creeping up his neck. It doesn’t help that he can feel the blush spreading to his ears. Hyunwoo turns his attention back to the screen, watching with intense interest as Pororo chases Crong around his snow-encumbered home. Hoseok takes the opportunity to move onto other things, like finding something to do.

Changing the channel is out of the question. Hyunwoo has the remote, and fighting him for it is like trying to beat Jooheon at aegyo, and that’s never gonna happen. Though, in an attempt to find something - and in the same right keeping himself occupied - Hoseok skims the shelves for opportunities. Hyunwoo has a bunch of magazines and books and video games that he rarely touches, ones that Hoseok’s already read. Then there’s the clothes and shoes he's probably grown out of, resting in random spots across the wood.

In the middle of his aimless searching he comes across his gift to Hyunwoo. The camera's balanced rather precariously on top of a few of the boy's old textbooks, with the accompanying journal resting not far away. He picks it up carefully, examining the baby blue coat.

“Did you load the film yet?” he asks slowly, still examining it. It’s almost a small thing in Hyunwoo’s hands but when Hoseok picks it up it takes two to hold. He remembers buying it a few weeks prior to his birthday, remembers standing in line at the electronics shop with the box tucked underneath his arm. The thought of buying something Hyunwoo probably wouldn’t even like or use had him feeling anxious. But he couldn’t really think of anything else to get that his friends had already reserved or bought. So he bought it and hoped to the heavens Hyunwoo wouldn’t reject it.

Not that it was likely, though.

Hyunwoo’s too pure for this world. He accepts anything graciously, with a genuine smile and a sincere _thank you_. So when he looks like he’s going to burst into nothing when he receives the camera, Hoseok reprimands himself for thinking Hyunwoo would react otherwise.

Hoseok presses the tiny button on the side of the lens. The lens itself pops out with a resounding _click_ and then the camera whirs, starting up.

Hyunwoo hums tiredly much later, like he’s still processing the boy’s words. It takes him a second, two seconds, but then he nods and shifts onto his stomach. Hoseok wraps the camera’s strap around his wrist, takes the journal, and returns to the bed. His best friend is curled up fetal position with the comforter in his arms, eyes still on the TV screen.

Hoseok doesn’t say anything, just slides under the covers with him, into the small confines of the bed. Their knees bump and he’s probably blushing like crazy, but Hyunwoo says nothing.

The older boy looks up to the screen. It’s bright as hell, but through the light he can make out that _Pororo_ ’s reaching its end. Hyunwoo looks like he used to look when he sat in front of the TV screen as a young boy - expectant and excited for more to come.

He matches the viewfinder with his eye and points it directly at Hyunwoo’s face.

“Yah,” is all he says to get the boy’s attention. Hyunwoo’s eyes snap to his.

“ _Seokie_ ,” he whines helplessly when he realizes what’s about to go down. It makes the older boy falter immediately. Hyunwoo isn’t one to protest. He just lets things happen as they come. To hear the boy moaning for him not to take the picture sends a bit of a thrill through his body, enough thrill to make him stop.

But Hoseok’s still gonna do it - already has his mind made up - no matter how much his best friend begs. “Don’t - ” he takes the picture “ - _fuck_.” The expletive comes as a surprise to Hoseok, who bursts out laughing right in his face. Hyunwoo groans loud and not-so-proud next to him, eyes screwed shut as tight as they can possibly go but he looks so cute.

“Potty mouth much?” Hoseok comments when he’s calmer.

“It was bright.”

“Be prepared next time.” He smiles sheepishly at the sight of Hyunwoo frowning at him.

“If there is a next time,” the younger boy mutters, blinking back the pain. Together they watch the first snapshot sliding from the camera. But something’s not right because it’s black. Completely black. No sign of a picture coming in anywhere.

Hyunwoo’s the first to start laughing but it hits Hoseok a nanosecond later. It’s the film’s protective screen.

“ _Fuuuuck_ , that was the perfect picture! What the fuck, Woo.” He groans aloud, slapping a hand across his face. He can hear the breathy chuckles coming from Hyunwoo’s mouth next to him. “Let me take another - ” Hoseok positions himself to take another. “I’m taking another.”

Hyunwoo pulls the cover over his head, shielding him from the TV light and Hoseok. “No, it’s too bright,” he says, voice muffled.

“C’mon, it’s just for a few seconds.”

“ _Hoseok_ \- ” it’s the second time he does that.

But Hoseok persists, “ - _please_.”

Hyunwoo doesn’t even last three seconds before he’s groaning aloud, throwing the covers away from himself with a dramatic “ _fine_.”

The older boy whoops victoriously, preparing the camera. Hyunwoo stares right at him when he smiles, but the smile isn’t returned. There’s actually a really unreadable expression on his face, and that scares him.

The blush rises to his cheeks but he ignores it because they’re too close and Hyunwoo doesn’t need to know that he’s getting really heated. He lifts the camera to his face. “Okay. Just, um. Just relax?”

Hyunwoo hums, blinking as he brings the covers over his body more. The edge of the comforter reaches past his chin, covering his lips partially. His eyes are dark and his hair is flawless even in bedhead state.

Hoseok can only feel fire. Hyunwoo looks like a model and he makes it look effortless, too; just lying there with a slack face. His expression is the same as before; a mix of boredom, amusement, and some other things he can quite put his finger on. He adjusts the lens and settings, trying not to mull over it.

“I thought this camera was supposed to be for _me_ to capture memories,” Hyunwoo mumbles, staring at the lens with tired eyes.

Hoseok presses the shutter release. “Shut up.” The camera clicks. Hyunwoo makes no movements, just closes his eyes for a really long time after the flash goes off. “It’s your first day as a legal adult, this is cause for celebration.”

It clicks again when the picture is printed completely.

Hoseok takes it out carefully, waving it about for a few seconds staring at the white space. From behind the processing photo he spots his best friend looking directly at him.

Hyunwoo gives him this look after his eyes adjust, and Hoseok swears it’s the exact face he made earlier, but this time there’s a distinctly larger amount of that _something_ he couldn’t name. Hoseok’s wavering eyes try to avoid his but they end up locking in place, wide and confused and curious. Hyunwoo blinks, then the _something_ is gone, before he swipes the film from him wordlessly, gracefully, gently like he doesn’t want Hoseok thinking he’s legitimately mad.

All that’s there now is blankness. “Where is it?”

“It’s gotta process.”

“And how long does that take?”

“...About ten minutes?” Hoseok replies, voice small. Like he knows Hyunwoo isn’t gonna appreciate the answer. And he doesn’t, because without another word, Hyunwoo pulls the covers over himself once more and goes silent. Hoseok grins.

After ten minutes, the picture starts bleeding through. And it looks fine. Hyunwoo stares at it for a good second or two before handing it Hoseok. The latter grabs the journal, slips the photo into the second slot, and scribbles a few words into the log space.

“What’d you write?” he hears the younger boy ask. Hoseok reads:

“ _‘Look, my loser is finally legal.’_ ”

“Wow.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No...I mean,” Hyunwoo purses his lips. “Okay, well - maybe about the ‘loser’ part, but.” Hoseok almost yelps when Hyunwoo doesn’t object to the idea of being _his_. “Everything else is fine.” It isn’t even a subtle attempt to flirt, Hoseok didn’t mean for it to be, but it’s out there and Hyunwoo doesn’t disagree and it says something.

Hoseok still dismisses it with ease and a wave of his hand, trying to play off his inner dilemma. Hyunwoo, seemingly satisfied with the response, doesn’t argue anymore and returns his attention to the television screen. For a while they lie in bed like that, listening to _Pororo_ transition to the first episodes of _Spongebob_ ; Hoseok secretly basking in Hyunwoo’s warmth and Hyunwoo being Hyunwoo.

But when it gets boring, and Hyunwoo can tell when Hoseok gets bored because he starts fidgeting too much, he notices the change in terms of his bedroom’s lighting and sits up. The sun’s starting to shine brighter through his drapes. He can tell it’s going to look nice outside. The heat, though, that’s another thing entirely. “Let’s go for a run,” he proposes all of a sudden, eyes still on the covered window.

And Hoseok doesn’t have anything against it. They’d go jogging a lot whenever he spent the night, just to help maintain his fitness and health, so both boys roll out of the bed and slip on some shorts and sneakers, not even bothering to change out of their night clothes. They’ll only ruin them more.

As it turns out, the heat’s not that bad. There’s a nice breeze running through Hoseok’s hair and it smells like summer.

Hyunwoo leads them down the driveway and looks out for a moment, squinting harshly as his eyes adjust. “How far do you wanna go?” He hears the boy hum thoughtfully.

“Maybe just around the neighborhood? I just wanna get something quick in before the sun decides it wants to cook me or something.” With a bit of a chuckle, Hoseok starts into a light jog. Hyunwoo doesn’t hesitate to keep pace right beside him, feet landing in perfect synchronization with his.

 

.

 

Twice around the neighborhood proves to be too easy for the both of them so they challenge themselves to go around once more, this time taking the route backwards to be able to run up inclines and work their legs. Hyunwoo does better at it than him, but he makes no complaints.

By the time they’re dragging their feet up the porch, sweat’s rolling down their body in waves and soaking their shirts, and the sun’s a little bit higher in the sky. Hoseok’s belly is about ready to be filled again.

The oven clock reads 10 AM sharp when they enter the kitchen. Hoseok automatically goes for setting pots and pans on the stove, preparing to make the morning meal.

“Hey, so I was thinking,” Hyunwoo says after a moment of silence when Hoseok’s focused on the pancake mix. When he doesn’t hear a follow-up, Hoseok stops whisking the batter to hum. “The guys are comin’ over tomorrow. Maybe we should go out somewhere to hang.”

Sounds good to him. Anything Hyunwoo offers sounds good to him. “Where’d you have in mind?” Hoseok allows the batter to sit untouched while he focuses on pulling out an egg carton.

He muses lightly, “Something everyone can get a kick out of.” There’s plenty of stuff to do. The mall’s always an option, a shit ton of movies just came out, the skatepark is open. Hoseok runs through the options in his mind, whisking away in silence. “Somebody in the group chat suggested Lotte World?”

Lotte World popped up, he’ll admit. But honestly Hoseok doesn’t really care where they go. They could be headed straight for Alcatraz but so long as Hyunwoo’s legitimately pleased, he’s down for anything. “You’re the birthday boy,” he replies with an exhale. “Do you want cheese?”

“No.” The grease is hot enough to take eggs, so he pours them in without any second thoughts. They sizzle and bubble for a few seconds before he stirs away. For a second that’s the only thing they can hear - the whisk of the eggs - before Hyunwoo scoots from the stool and circles the counter. “I’m making bacon,” he announces. He nods.

Making breakfast isn’t a momentous occasion except for, of course, the food. Hyunwoo’s mom is usually the one standing in the kitchen every morning. They usually don’t get up until she’s barging in the room announcing that the meal is ready. And they’re _usually_ too tired to do anything else but eat from the plate set in front of them.

Today’s different because there’s no Hyunwoo’s mom or dad - it’s just them. They’ve been under these circumstances before, being responsible for their own meals and such, but it’s always awkward every time. They end up burning something, or the pancakes are too gooey, or there aren’t enough ingredients to make double the food so they have to share. (Sharing is his favorite, though.)

Today’s also different because they _don’t_ burn anything and there’s enough food. Hoseok enjoys the peace that rises from Hyunwoo’s concentration as he pours pancakes and flips bacon and taps on his phone.

When everything’s ready - pancakes and bacon and eggs and leftover kimbap that he whips out of the fridge - they settle down on the couch, side by side sitting cross legged.

“Mom would have a cow if she caught us like this,” Hyunwoo says, taking his first bite of a crispy piece of bacon. His boxers ride up his thighs, he can’t help but notice. They’re thick and muscled and pale and Hoseok feels a certain pressure being exerted on his jaw at the thought of maybe attaching his lips to them. _But you’d have a herd if you know what was going on in my head_ , Hoseok thinks with a scrunch of his nose. _Stop, Hoseok._

Neverthless, it’s undoubtedly true that Mrs. Son would probably smack both of them for eating on the couch, much less in the living room. There was always a chance of spilling something, which wouldn’t be good especially on a nice sofa.

But that’s a good thing about her not being here; it means there are no rules to follow. So Hoseok, knowing full well that he’s loaded on syrup and is currently sitting on a very nice, very clean couch, digs his ass into the seat and gets comfy. “Yolo!” he voices quite loudly, clicking the buttons on the remote to turn the TV to _Spongebob_ again. (Still, he won’t deny that he does make it a point to avoid tilting his plate any.)

(But of course _somebody_ goes and gets too carried away. Somebody being Hyunwoo because did he forget to say _of course_?)

Hyunwoo almost makes a mess on the couch. He’s too focused on the television screen to notice the syrup dribbling onto his thigh. But it doesn’t take Hoseok, whose legs are definitely pressed against his, long to feel the viscous liquid as it trails across his upper leg and pretty damn close to the fabric.

“Hyunwoo, get up!” Hoseok screeches when he looks down at his own legs. A teeny tiny puddle of syrup is collecting on his pale skin, coming straight from Hyunwoo’s inclined plate. He glances at Hyunwoo’s leg, too, and sees the same liquid about ready to drip off his knee.

The younger boy doesn’t hesitate to do as he’s asked, jolting from the abundance of cushion beneath him, taking the plate as well. It’s annoying, having to stand on a full stomach when a perfectly good couch is well within his reach, but if it means keeping himself from groundation and being able to sit in the living room with so much as a tiny snack - he’ll move.

Heart racing, he looks at his plate and then at his legs. Syrup trails down from the middle of his thigh all the way to his shin.

“ _Jesus_ ,” Hoseok says, staring at his own body. His smile is wide and his eyes are even wider, most definitely from surprise. “That was close.”

“Now we’re all sticky,” Hyunwoo says. _Hey, I’ll gladly clean it off -_

“Well,” Hoseok blinks away the thought as his eyes fall on Hyunwoo’s legs. He shouldn’t think things like that, not when the person he’s seeking is in the same room. From first glance it seem he got the worst of it. “Now we have two reasons to shower.”

“You’re right about that,” Hyunwoo sighs. He waddles into the kitchen, Hoseok following close behind with his own empty plate, and leads the way upstairs. “You go first.”

“Nah, I’ll just waste hot water,” Hoseok uses an old shirt to clean off majority of the syrup, but the stick is still there and very apparent. “You go.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, just go.”

Hyunwoo throws a towel over his shoulder and walks out without another protest.

Hoseok tries not to imagine him naked - keyword _tries_ \- but like always it doesn’t work. He sits on the bed with images of Hyunwoo’s ass filling his brain, and the fire’s there - oh, is it there.

Hyunwoo is naturally shy, not in the way that he’s embarrassed to flaunt himself (unlike Hoseok), he just never reveals his body and prefers to keep those matters private. But there are days.

Hoseok only ever has the privilege of seeing Hyunwoo’s rear end on special occasions. He calls them special because they happen so rarely. Sometimes it’s when they’re in a rush coming out of the showers after practice and he forgets he’s not alone, other times it’s when he’s being lazy and just wants to walk around the room out and proud. The view never goes unappreciated, though.

“Shower’s free,” Hyunwoo announces when he comes back in merely minutes later, breaking Hoseok’s thoughts before they could roam to other parts of his body. The older blinks up at him, confused for a split second, but the thin towel wrapped around his waist quickly dispels any brain discrepancies. It’s loosely tied and low on his body, barely covering his hipbones. Hoseok catches a glimpse of his happy trail running clear as day up to his navel.

Droplets of water cling desperately to his hair and skin, dribbling down the line of his nape all the way until they collectively disappear beneath his towel in fat rivulets. Hyunwoo’s holding his only means of cover gently in his hands, digging through his drawer for something to wear. Something tells Hoseok that if he delays his shower just a _few_ seconds, he can expect that sorry excuse for a towel to drop to the floor at any second.

Hoseok slips out a small “m’kay” before feigning interest in his phone. Part of him feels wrong for purposely waiting to ogle his best friend, but a small sliver of his conscious believes that Hyunwoo is in on something deeper. That Hyunwoo’s _purposely_ teasing him.

It’s taking a mighty long time to find clothes, which enhances that idea, and he thinks he sees Hyunwoo look at him, which can mean a lot of things. But Hoseok continues on his phone, lip stuck between his teeth as he waits eagerly.

Hyunwoo finds his clothes, pads over to the mirror, and tugs at the cloth.

Hoseok doesn’t look at first because he knows the towel has come off and doesn’t want to give himself away. But Hyunwoo just stands there for a minute, stands in front of his mirror baring all and alarmingly silent. Like he’s either staring at himself in all his naked glory or at Hoseok through the mirror. It isn’t hard to guess which is really happening; Hoseok feels the boy’s gaze coming down hard on him like searchlights on a helicopter. Like he’s daring Hoseok to look up.

Hoseok would - _will_ \- if he can get his eyes somewhere other than his lap. If Hyunwoo would give him a signal. And Hoseok should know better than Hyunwoo never disappoints, even when his own actions are unbeknownst to him.

“Hoseok?”

The older boy jerks his head up in response, eyes falling over his figure in one quick sweep.

Appreciation doesn’t even begin to describe what Hoseok feels when he’s given the opportunity to quite-possibly-maybe-sexually-harass Hyunwoo via an intense bout of leering.  No, what Hoseok feels is something entirely that _and_ something more because, where Hoseok is sharp edges and chiseled bones, Hyunwoo is smooth curves and toned muscle and ample softness no matter how much bulk he puts onto his shoulders or arms or _body_ in general and Hoseok will never _not_ love it.

It’s...weird.

Like always, Hyunwoo’s ass is plump and round, like two globes stuffed under a taut layer of flesh. But Hoseok doesn’t dare look at anything beyond that, even though there’s plenty of room for his eyes. That’s all he ever gets when Hyunwoo strips - a fleeting glance - before he has to force himself to look away. But that’s also all he needs because one can never be too careful. He can remember the images in his mind so it’s enough.

“Y-Yeah?” He doesn’t mean to stutter but there’s a naked boy in front of him and that doesn’t seem to match well with cohesive thoughts.

“Shower before you get syrup on my bed?”

Suddenly he becomes aware, _acutely_ aware of the leftover syrup stuck on his legs. It’s starting to soak into his skin and shorts. “Right,” he pushes away from the bed like it’ll impede the collection of syrup on Hyunwoo’s sheets. The younger boy says nothing, just darts his tongue across his lips ( _Hyunwoo, don’t fucking do that!_ he whines internally) as he watches in interested amusement the way Hoseok scrambles and darts for the bathroom fast enough to make the bats out of Hell jealous. But Hoseok is pretty sure it has something to do with the thing in between his legs starting to rouse.

Steam floats out of the bathroom and condensation clings to the mirror but other than that the shower’s definitely free and definitely about to used at its fullest capacity. Hoseok practically rips his clothes off, body flushing as his collides with the scorching liquid for the first time. Usually he’ll take a cold shower to let whatever boner he’s got halfway worked up go back down, but that’s completely pointless because he’s about to walk back out into the cold air of the house and he doesn’t want those types of problems, especially during summertime.

He weaves fingers through his hair, spreading shampoo through the dark locks with ease. Soap slides off his body and the previously scalding water is but a warm rush against him. Hoseok’s minding his business, about ready to start humming a song, when the squeak of the shower knob breaks through the noises of shower water falling like a ton of bricks. He thinks nothing of it at first, but then the warmth - the precious heat he was getting used to - disappears and is traded in for _pins and needles_.

Hoseok screeches like a banshee when the warmth he was just getting used to transforms into a seemingly all-consuming bite that swallows him whole. _“Fuck! Coldcoldcold!”_

The water’s so cold all of a sudden, so numbing that for what feels like eternity Hoseok literally freezes in his spot while the water pelts against him - beating him into a corner in attempt to escape its fury. He’s unable to move save for the intense shivering and can really only listen to the devious snickers on the other side of the shower curtain, but a deep anger rises in him for a second.

 _“S-Son Hyunwoo!”_ His voice cracks this time but the fury’s definitely there, sending Hyunwoo into an even worse fit of laughter. “You fucking _asshole_!” This time he lashes out, swinging blindly at the curtain separating them - or at least he tries to do that before almost slipping and breaking his neck.

“You love it!” is the last thing he hears before there’s a heavy pounding against the floor, signifying feet flitting down the hall. Hyunwoo’s gone just like that.

Hoseok wants to shout that Hyunwoo better hide well, but the threat would be so completely empty on the premise that _a)_ he wouldn’t lay a finger on Hyunwoo if he did manage to find him and _b)_ he’s got this goddamn water on _freeze Hoseok to death_ and he has to deal with it before he really does end up hurting himself.

He ends up turning the shower off from the outside. Hyunwoo left the door open like a true asshole, so a storm of cold air meet him when he steps out. But Hyunwoo also left some clothes on the counter for him, which kinda eases some of the annoyance Hoseok harbors.

“Son H-Hyunwoo, I fucking hate you, why would you do something like that,” is all he says when he barges into the bedroom, hair dripping and clothes clinging to his body. Hyunwoo, burrowed underneath the covers again, greets him with a sly grin. _Cheeky bastard_ , Hoseok glares, tossing his dirty clothes in the hamper. He looks ready for a nap, and truthfully Hoseok feels ready for one as well. “I’m _freezing_ ,” he whines when the piercing air becomes too much.

“‘m sorry, I was bored,” Hyunwoo supplies a second later, his voice but a mumble when Hoseok clambers over his long body to reach his own spot. He makes sure Hyunwoo sees his eyes rolling. Hoseok groans as he snuggles into the bed, mashing his face against the pillow, not without cursing Hyunwoo for his stunt. The younger boy only laughs, feigning a small pout whenever their eyes meet. “It can’t be _that_ bad?”

Well. It’s significantly warmer underneath the thick quilt that is Hyunwoo’s cover, but Hoseok’s still facing the aftereffects of an impromptu cold shower and the lingering chill nestled deep in his bones. The only source of heat he knows is Hyunwoo himself. He cocks his head to the side. The younger's face down on the mattress, arms and hands are folded and tucked underneath the pillow, and there might as well be a neon sign floating above his head flashing _"Hoseok, get your ass over here now."_

Now Hoseok isn’t blind. He knows an opportunity when he sees one, and if this isn’t a blatant invitation to curl up next to his crush then he doesn’t know what is. Hyunwoo’s even looking at him, this gleam in the one eye he has cracked open - like he knows something’s going through his friend’s brain. But he’s Hyunwoo, after all, who can read him like a book; he’s known Hoseok long enough to know when something’s on his mind.

The older boy’s lip twitches as he contemplates the consequences of actually doing what he wants to do. (There are none.) So it's with no qualms whatsoever that Hoseok, feeling a rush of something icy and unnameable run down his spine, thrusts his whole body forward, barging into Hyunwoo’s arms, muttering, “I’m freezing my ass off, move over.”

Hyunwoo chuckles, “There’s barely any room on the bed in the first place.” But he ( _thankfully_ ) grants Hoseok the entry he desires, letting the boy into his hold with nothing less than a smile on his face. “Do you _want_ me to fall off?” he asks when Hoseok settles and curls into him.

“No, just - let me - ” he shudders while inching as close as he possibly can. It’s really cold and Hoseok has half a mind to say outright _just let me sleep with you_ , but it would be terribly ill-timed seeing as they’re sharing heat and he kinda is sleeping with Hyunwoo. Just not in the way that he would eventually _like_ to. “You’re my resident human radiator, j-just do your fucking job,” he settles with, sighing into the fabric of Hyunwoo’s tank top.

A wave of warmth cascades over his body when Hyunwoo’s hold tightens. It feels so good to be in his arms. The thought of Hyunwoo coddling him - holding him, really, but let him dream - leaves his mind blank and his heart pounding restlessly against his ribcage. He just hopes to God that Hyunwoo can't feel it, despite the fact that they're packed together like canned sardines.

Hoseok wants to say he's dreaming, but knows he isn't and this is actually happening. Everything just feels too damn good to be true. Hyunwoo's hands can't really be resting on the small of his back, nothing is caressing his scalp, it’s just the air that’s fanning his dampened hair and they aren’t that close. Yet Hoseok feels Hyunwoo everywhere; feels the boy overloading his senses like a drug that is definitely illegal.

And it shouldn't be like this, he knows that. This isn't cuddling, coddling, whatever. This is the freight train heading straight for heartbreak. This is burying himself alive. This is the lightbulb going off in Hyunwoo’s mind, the one that tells him that Hoseok’s been doing things in the dark and the one that brings it all to light.

“Are you okay now?” Hyunwoo’s voice vibrates against his cheeks, soft and sweet like him.

Hoseok nods into his chest. “Is this the part where you push me away because, y’know. _‘No homo?’_ ”

He chuckles, and Hoseok wants to squeal - yes, _squeal_ \- at the way the laughter rises from his his throat and simultaneously blesses and curses him. “Nah,” he says a second later, and that’s kinda that.

They fall asleep easily because the warmth is soothing and they’re bellies are full and they’ve got a whole day to waste so why not waste it sleeping next to one another - or, at least, that’s Hoseok’s thinking. He doesn’t know how Hyunwoo feels about this, but he desperately wants to find out. Now? No. He doesn’t want the possibility of ruining the union to come to pass. He’d much rather like to stay like this. Later? Definitely. When Hoseok's head isn’t resting on his chest as it is now and Hyunwoo's leg isn’t lodged between his knees, and they’re stomachs and other limbs don’t touch with every movement.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "THIS WILL BE TWO PARTS"
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> "IT WON'T BE LONG"
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> "SELF-CONTROL"
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> (this is getting out of hand i'm so sorry
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> the  _next_ part will be the last, i promise)


	3. Chapter 3

 

Hoseok is the first to wake, when the sun is higher in the sky and the warmth of Hyunwoo’s body has become fainter. He inhales deep. The younger’s scent, a deep citrus, is just as strong as when they first got close.

As his mind defogs, his eyes flutter open. He’s on his back, so the first thing he sees is the ceiling. But he can hear and feel every bit of Hyunwoo at his side. A thick arm is draped across his torso, weighing him down. The boy’s mouth might as well be attached to his ear. They’re still very close, probably a little closer than when they first snuggled up to each other, probably too close for this to be friendly.

But, to be honest, Hyunwoo's bed is far too cramped to accommodate two average-sized teenage boys. It’s with effort that they manage to get through nights without feeling any aches or cramps in the morning. And despite summer heat attacking the nation full force this year, Hoseok quite enjoys feeling warmth radiating from Hyunwoo's body in the mornings. Even if he’s leeched most of it from the poor boy.

But maybe that's just him. Maybe that's just Hoseok's excuse for crushing so hard on Hyunwoo. But he can't help it. They're best friends, after all, so they've always been close. Sometimes Hoseok even likes to think that what they have stretches a few inches outside of the boundaries of friendship. Sometimes he ridicules himself for having ideas like that; it's just wishful thinking, after all. How the hell would _they_ happen?

Hoseok feels the pout form on his lips before he realizes it's there. As he watches the gentle rise and fall of Hyunwoo's chest less than a few inches away, he thinks that, aside from the usual praise about how handsome he is, there’s a certain peace that drapes over him when he sleeps and he looks even more handsome. But the thought is immediately followed by one of ridicule because Hoseok really needs to stop pining so hard after his best friend.

This is his truth: Hyunwoo doesn't love him like that. Before he was iffy about the boy’s feelings, but he’s probably been friend-zoned more times than Jacob in all the _Twilight_ series, so nothing Hyunwoo does can make Hoseok think otherwise. Hyunwoo isn't into boys. Hyunwoo is straight. He doesn't love Hoseok the way Hoseok loves him, the way Hoseok wants him to.

It’s just a sad reality.

Yet, time and time again the older boy finds himself submitting to his feelings like an idiot. And time and time again he has to remind himself that self-control is a very real thing and he needs a lot of it around Hyunwoo.

Hoseok, hurt by the sting of truth, looks away to focus his attention on the TV screen, but before he has his eyes completely honed in he catches the corners of Hyunwoo’s mouth curl up. Not even a second later, he feels the vibrations of a smooth, _amused_ voice against his ear:

“You’re staring at me.”

His skin prickles instantly, out of alarm or surprise or something else inexplicable - he isn’t quite sure. The only thing Hoseok knows for certain is that he wasn’t expecting _that_ . Hyunwoo’s breaths were even and slow. His weight was lobbed onto the bed, if not him first, and his body was as stagnant as a rock. He _looked_ asleep. Yet here he is now, eyes closed and a faint smirk splayed on his face because he’s awake and he _knows_ Hoseok’s been staring at him.

“I-I wasn’t,” Hoseok retorts immediately, trying to sound convincing, but his voice cracks up an octave and he stutters at the start and it’s a complete failure.

And, if Hyunwoo not trusting his answer isn’t clear enough, the younger boy’s eyes flutter open, his wobbly eyes land on him, and the smirk on his face grows wider. Hoseok is sure he looks stupid. The sarcasm-ridden “sure” that exits his mouth next only confirms it.

It’s a taunt of sorts, small and tempting. Hyunwoo wants to see him try to defend himself against the truth. ( _Which he’s actually been doing a lot lately._ ) But Hoseok can never argue with the boy, not even if he was wrong. Hyunwoo always reads right through him, anyway. What’s the point?

He murmurs a “fuck you,” before ( _stupidly_ ) grabbing Hyunwoo’s shirt and burying his face against the younger’s chest. He’s been fucking up a lot, but he knows it has something to do with being so close to Hyunwoo and his warmth and his scent. It’s driving his mind straight to the gutter.

“You’re _still_ cold?” Hyunwoo asks, Hoseok can _hear_ the grin in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” he replies like an idiot, about to pull away, but Hyunwoo’s having none of it. His arms tighten around Hoseok’s torso. _Shit_ , the older thinks with an increasingly flushed face, _please don’t do this._ Whether or not he’s talking to himself or Hyunwoo, he isn’t sure.

“S’fine.”

 _No, no it isn’t._ It's rare for them to be this close, and he's trying to savor as much of the contact as he can, but Hoseok knows he’s better off just burying himself.

The only thing Hyunwoo does is sprawl his arms as far as they can across the bed. Bones crack and he groans, satisfied, right above Hoseok’s ear. A shiver shoots down his spine when the sound resonates, vibrating against his scalp. The only way to physically stop whatever noise he feels rising in the back of his throat is by biting his lip and gripping onto Hyunwoo’s shirt.

And it’s a difficult feat in itself, but if Hyunwoo notices he says nothing. In fact he merely sighs, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “What time is it?” Hoseok doesn’t answer, fearful that something different than his intended answer may slip past his lips. The good thing about his lack of a reply is that Hyunwoo isn’t even looking for one. He rolls onto his back in search of his phone, prepared to answer the question himself. Hoseok, connected at his torso, says nothing, just splays his hands across Hyunwoo's chest and waits. “1:57 PM.” He hums. “Oh, and my dad said he’s bringing takeout home for dinner.”

Takeout sounds nice. Not uncommon, but the Son family could use a trip to the market so, it’s understandable. Hoseok gives a curt nod to show approval, though no one really needs it because he’s not the decision-maker here.

He lets out a relaxed sigh, practically boring holes into Hyunwoo’s shirt, into his chest, into the _bed_ . He can feel the soothing thrum of the younger’s heartbeat against his ear, the slow rush of breath leaving and returning each time his chest lifts and falls. _This is nice, too_ , he thinks as he smooths his palm across the boy’s muscle.

The younger says nothing when it happens, probably because he hasn’t registered that he’s being felt up, but Hoseok does. He registers very quickly after reaching Hyunwoo’s sternum - when his hand _definitely_ wasn’t there before - that he’s done something he probably shouldn’t have. But the problem is Hyunwoo, who should be paying attention, doesn’t say _anything_.

Hoseok’s body feels like it’s hanging over a fire, and it’s not because he’s lying on Mr. Human Heater. It’s the confusing rush of adrenaline rocketing through his circulatory system, it’s every cell inside screaming out in alarm - screaming _Hoseok what the fuck are you doing_ like a broken record. And Hoseok, whose hand is frozen atop his best friend, doesn’t dare look up. He can’t bear the thought of locking eyes with Hyunwoo. It would end him.

_But what if he likes this._

Hoseok’s chest hollows at the thought. It’s a possibility. Hyunwoo hasn’t opposed to being touched, but he may not even know it’s happening - which is where Hoseok knows his dilemma lies. Hyunwoo could very well enjoy being touched as much as he could hate it. But he can’t deny the truth he’s set on believing. Hoseok closes his eyes, afraid that if he stares any longer his silence will alert the ever-so-vigilant Hyunwoo. When he does, the words are right there - _he does not love you_ \- practically burned onto the insides of his eyelids. It hurts, to say the least.

Hyunwoo chuckles. “The guys are debating on whether or not to go to Gonjiam.” Hoseok frowns at the name, left cheek smashed against his ribcage.

“The scary place?”

“You should see this, Jooehon’s going _off_.” It’s definitely Gonjiam, then.

Hoseok snorts, eyes shifting between open and closed as he tries to savor the pulse beneath his head before he has to move. He makes no attempt to look at Hyunwoo’s phone. It doesn’t interest him right now.

His hand grows a mind of its own, or maybe he stops focusing on self-control, but it starts moving across Hyunwoo’s chest without his consent. He watches in interest, exploring carefully while the younger boy occupies himself with other things.

It isn’t until his hand comes sliding back to his own body that Hoseok notices that Hyunwoo’s nipples are hard. And then, mischievous as he is, he gets an idea.

They’ve given each other surprise nipple attacks or whatever the hell they’re called. One time at summer camp sophomore year, another time right after dance practice when Hoseok couldn't keep his hands to himself. Most of the time it's Hoseok's immature but desperate attempt to beat Hyunwoo at a wrestling match. Either way, on a good day neither boy ever expects to receive the famed Titty Twist, so logically Hyunwoo wouldn't expect one now.

He shoots a cursory glance upward, takes note of the distraction that is Hyunwoo's phone, and thinks _now's the time for revenge_. So it's with a wicked smirk that Hoseok attacks mercilessly, hands lunging for the boy's dark areolae like vulture ready to feed.

Each time the response is the same: if Hyunwoo deals the damage, Hoseok squeals higher than Mariah Carey; if Hoseok's the culprit, Hyunwoo practically jumps out of his skin before going red enough in the face to make Elmo jealous.

This time is no different except, after the usual of Hyunwoo’s soul practically exiting his body, a completely unexpected, _unnecessary_ groan is released from those sinful lips, one that sends a spark of something or another running down Hoseok’s back. A shiver wrapped in electricity, a bout of arousal he's going to have to fight into suppression - whatever it is, Hoseok can feel it rocketing from his nape, coating thirty-one spinal nerves, and settling at the tips of his toes.

“Hoseok, what the _fuck_ ,” he pants into the older’s scalp a moment later, coming down from astonishment.

Hoseok can’t help the grin. Can’t help the burn of attraction that follows when Hyunwoo laughs at the fingers dancing around his chest. “Sorry I was bored,” he says mockingly. But he's still shy and flushed and completely helpless as he attempts to absorb the pain he inflicted with a gentle massage. It only serves to make the nipple harder.

“Fuck you, when are you ever sorry.” Hyunwoo curls into the hand.

"Okay, well - yeah, you're right." _Never_.

They still giggle about it like immature children because _haha nipples, nipples are funny_ . But in Hoseok’s mind, there’s a time bomb and it’s ticking away, ready to explode at any moment. He knows he can't do this and shouldn't be doing this, but he can't stop because for the millionth time he loves Hyunwoo so much - _too much_ \- and this is the only intimacy he’ll probably ever get to experience with him.

When the laughter dies down, Hoseok's fingers trail further - but this time he knows he has an audience. He can hear the silence of Hyunwoo’s eyes, can feel his gaze burning bright trails across his body. He knows not to look up, though. That's a confrontation he isn't prepared to face right now.

As he smooths over the lumps of muscle on Hyunwoo’s tummy, Hoseok notes that he’s got the boy one-upped when it comes to ab work. Whereas he’s mostly been into core training, Hyunwoo has always preferred working his arms and legs - _“the practical muscles,”_ according to him - with minimal amounts of attention to his midsection.

Not that Hoseok has a problem. Unlike Mrs. Son, who complains that he needs to stop stretching his shirts, Hoseok likes the sight of Hyunwoo’s arms bulging in turtlenecks and sweaters and just about anything to come out of his closet. He also likes imagining Hyunwoo using those same bulky arms to pick him up and push him against the nearest flat surface but that’s a thought for another time. Maybe when he isn’t skin to skin with the subject of his fantasies.

So he continues on mindlessly, letting his fingers trace shapes and patterns and whatever they see fit to seal into Hyunwoo's belly.

“What are you drawing, the subway system?" Hyunwoo's chuckling breaks right through Hoseok's zone of concentration. Caught red-handed, the older smiles sheepishly. They're best friends, they're allowed to be touchy-feely sometimes. But even in the closest of relationships there are boundaries and, according to society, to get carried away is to thrust oneself beyond those boundaries.

Hoseok drags his hand away from the boy, the words "shit, sorry" already tumbling out of his mouth like a sack of bricks, heavy and useless. He wants to take it all back.

"I was - " there's a nervous laugh "I was just joking."

Hoseok can hear the guilt seeping out with each word, the helpless _i didn't mean to_ type of plea that sounds so genuine and makes him actually want to apologize for apologizing. "I know," comes his smiling reply.

Hyunwoo seems satisfied with the answer, judging by his lack of a response. Hoseok thinks maybe his curiosity weirded the younger out so he's trying to ease his suspicions with a little joke. But Hyunwoo's always been a man of many surprises, the god of spontaneity.

The same concept applies now, as Hyunwoo's fingers graze over the back of his hand and, with a lax tug, he guides it upward.

Hoseok's heart practically explodes just from the feel of Hyunwoo's fingers wrapping around his. The fact that he's holding their hands together and looking at them like a young child looks at a new toy speaks volume. And Hoseok can hear it - he acknowledges the message Hyunwoo’s trying to send, but it’s in a different language almost. He can’t understand the content. Hyunwoo’s aura is too indiscernible, his expression too expressionless.

He isn’t sure what’s going on with Hyunwoo, much less _himself_ , but something is definitely going on in the boy’s brain.

"So I guess we're even now, yeah?" Hoseok stammers out in attempt to distract himself from overthinking. Hyunwoo twists his hand, silent as he examines the appendage. His face makes it seem as though he’s staring at the eighth world wonder. (Hoseok doesn't mind. He'll never mind. Hyunwoo could cut his hand off and Hoseok would thank him.)

"Even?" Hyunwoo murmurs, breathing fanning his hair, fingers wiggling about his hand in effort to explore. His skin is soft and his touch is gentle. "Maybe," he smiles, mischievous. The blush is spreading on Hoseok's cheeks but he figures it's okay to go a little red in the face since they’re this close.

He can feel Hyunwoo's eyes on him, a common occurrence apparently, but he doesn't want to look up. Alas - Hyunwoo's eyes are like magnets, so no matter how much Hoseok tries to avert his gaze, he always ends up looking right back. Maybe it's just the submissive streak he'll never get over. Maybe it's because he secretly wants something to come out of staring at the boy of his dreams.

Either way, Hoseok's eyes inevitably end up locked with the younger's. And he freezes every single time, as if injected by some serum that causes everything but his heart to malfunction.

 _This is so gay_ , Hoseok thinks, mind damn near tatters, because, well, it _is_? He and Hyunwoo should’ve been separated a long time ago, yet here they are, still huddled up like Antarctica is on the other side of their blanket. Like Hoseok’s sorry excuse to cuddle is still valid.

“Maybe?” he chuckles nervously. Hyunwoo hums, thumb dragging across a vein on his hand. It feels oddly _okay_ , but Hoseok’s itching to intertwine their fingers. They’ve done that, too, but only because they had to. They’ve never done it out of their own will because that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends and married couples do. They’re just best friends. He doesn’t have the privilege of endless intimacy like Hyunwoo’s future girlfriend will. He’s afraid of being overly touchy, too. One wrong move, one _single_ touch at the wrong time could be the end of their friendship should Hyunwoo realize. And Hyunwoo - disappointed, disgusted, _heterosexual_ Hyunwoo - would never speak to him again. He would lose the respect of everyone he loves, including his best friend, and no one would ever see him the same. Hoseok wouldn’t be able to live with himself if that happened.

Hyunwoo lowers his hand back down onto his abdomen, much lower than before, where Hoseok wants it least ( _and most_ ). Right below his navel, right above the line of hair he refuses to shave. Right above his crotch.

Remaining quiet and unaffected by the proximity takes all the willpower he can muster, and even then Hoseok can feel his lower lip taking its place between his teeth. Something’s definitely up in Hyunwoo’s mind. He’s not that big on skin contact, even with close friends and family, so seeing him like this - all touchy-feely - is not only _appreciated_ somewhere in his head, but also completely surprising.

Externally he seems okay, or at least he _hopes_ he does, but internally there’s a war of emotions taking hold. His whole body screeches _what is happening_ with the volume of a thousand police sirens. He really _doesn't know_ what’s going or how this isn’t repulsing Hyunwoo. He just knows that it’s wrong. Not _morally_ , no - it’s the situation that’s puzzling him. It’s the fact that Hyunwoo’s holding his hand and together they’re settled at The Edge, the place he’s not to supposed to go because it doesn’t belong to him.

His cheeks are roasting, _he's_ roasting. And Hyunwoo says nothing, which makes all of this ten times worse because - it’s the _unknown_ that scares him. The fact that he’s less than two inches away from practically touching his best friend’s dick _and he has no clue_ how he feels about it.

 _He doesn’t love you_.

But he’s not flipping his shit, either, so it _means_ something.

Afraid he’s receiving the wrong message, Hoseok makes the mistake of looking up. People always say you're always communicating with those surrounding you, and that, even when you're not talking, constant streams of secret code are being delivered and received in the multiple forms - body language, facial expressions, eyes. Maybe that’ll give Hoseok the answer he might be looking for.

His head tilts upward so that looking at Hyunwoo is like a vertical pan out in a movie. Not the full image all at once, but rather a slow progression from the connection of their hands at his by hipbone, to his curve of his chest, all the way up to the chiseled face he fell in love with as a younger boy.

If he gets an answer at all, it isn’t in a comprehensive language. It probably has to do with the fact that, when it comes to love, Hoseok’s the skeptic, doubting Thomas type of guy. In order to understand anything, he needs verbal and quite possibly _physical_ explanation. Things must be spelled out in an eighty-page thesis eloquently written on pristine white long bond paper with font size thirty, Times New Roman, double spaced, MLA format - the whole nine yards.

He only understands body language and facial expression up to a certain point. This isn’t one of those moments because, looking at Hyunwoo now, he can’t tell if the boy’s intense visage is the direct result of his contemplating The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything™ or if it’s because he feels the same ache Hoseok feels when he’s alone at night and missing Hyunwoo - the same passion he feels right now.

_He does not love you._

Then why does he look like that?

 _Push me away_.

Hoseok does nothing to imply he’d like to be pushed off, despite his thoughts wailing otherwise, and Hyunwoo does nothing to move him away. In fact, if Hoseok isn’t actually dreaming - if he’s sane and sober and every other word that accurately describes normal circumstances - he thinks the gap between his and Hyunwoo’s face is beginning to close.

Hyunwoo looks down at his lips and back up into his eyes. His brow is furrowed, like he’s on the brink of making a decision but something’s holding him back.

When his hand leaves his and comes too close to his face, like his decision’s made, Hoseok damn near loses his shit. Every alarm in his system blares - constant, simultaneous streams _nope_ and _fuck_ when soft fingers make contact with his cheek.

 _Hyunwoo, please._ His mind is racing with thoughts distressing enough to get him put into an insane asylum. This is his stubbornness to turn away. This is insane, but he wants this and he wants Hyunwoo. This is the opposite of his truth.

He hesitates only because of that.

 _Fuck the truth_.

It’s a bold thought but Hoseok’s feeling some bold things right about now. With a shaky breath, he takes whatever sanity left in him, throws it out the window, and thrusts himself up - crashing onto Hyunwoo’s lips.

It’s like pushing opposite poles of two magnets together, the two of them, except there’s an uneven connection, too much Hoseok and too little Hyunwoo, resulting in seventy-five percent teeth, twenty-five percent lip, and absolutely zero finesse. But Hyunwoo’s lips are worth it - _so so_ worth it - that Hoseok doesn’t even care how sloppy they are. All he cares about is the mouth attached to his and the arm around his waist and the undying heat of passion finally manifesting after years and years of being bottled up.

Kissing Son Hyunwoo feels like exiting his body and ascending onto another plane of existence. It’s his awakening.

They pull back and take a second to right themselves. Hoseok stares wide-eyed at Hyunwoo, who’s panting like he just finished running a marathon. His lips are red and shiny and inviting. No words are exchanged, just eyes and body, and the message is clear.

The second time they kiss it’s much slower, much softer, much more calculated. Hyunwoo initiates it, swooping in to steal Hoseok’s mouth, but when he catches there are no fireworks or explosions or rocket launches, just touches of cool breeze and warm, gentle embraces and sweet rose petals brushing across his lips. The heat of passion, just toned down.

Hyunwoo cups Hoseok’s cheek as their lips mold and mesh together. His skin tastes like maple syrup and his tongue like honey. Hoseok tries to keep himself quiet, but the other’s tongue pokes past his lips and he can’t help the mewl that escapes. _Yes_ , he thinks as tongues collide - _yes yes,_ God _, yes_.

Hoseok’s epiphany is profound, that Hyunwoo is gay, first of all - and then he’s gay for _him_ . Hyunwoo feels the same feelings as him. Hyunwoo _likes_ him. It fills his heart with an ache and his veins with a rush of lust. He wants Hyunwoo even more now.

A billow of breath is exchanged as they part. Hyunwoo removes his hand from Hoseok’s cheek, takes Hoseok’s hand into his own, and lands them both right onto his crotch. He squeezes his hand, hard, and Hoseok, ever so disbelieving Hoseok, forces himself into a state of absolute rigidity when he feels the strain of - oh.

He swallows when it hits him, and of course it hits him like a freight train once he understands the situation completely.

_Oh._

Hyunwoo is hard.

Son Hyunwoo, he must've repeated in his brain thousands of times over, is hard. Son Hyunwoo, the perfect angel; Son Hyunwoo, the awkward turtle; Son Hyunwoo, his best friend, is _hard_. And it's even not the morning wood type of hard-on that goes away after a few rubs. He sees a log of an erection pulsing wildly, straining in the boy’s underwear. Hyunwoo is hard in a way that suggests helpless arousal, the kind that requires his complete attention and nothing less.

His heart's already racing, he can hear the harsh sound of blood rushing past his ears, and there's a deep pulse resonating somewhere deep inside him with every _woosh-woosh_. Hyunwoo’s underwear looks suffocating, or his dick is just big - or both. He really can’t be comfortable and it almost hurts Hoseok to see his best friend so calm in the midst of a crisis.

His stare switches between Hyunwoo and his hand and back to Hyunwoo before he’s spiraling into a sputtering, blushing mess of emotions. How did they even _get_ to this point?

Hyunwoo stares into his eyes before his lips and back to his eyes, and Hoseok bites his lip harder. _He’s so hot, why is he so fucking hot, oh God._ Fueled by the image of him, Hoseok slides his hand up to the waistband of the boy’s underwear. _Do you want this?_ he wants to ask.

There’s a frenzied kinda look in Hyunwoo’s when they meet - screaming _yes_ \- and Hoseok discerns he’s being told to do something, _anything_ , right now. With bated breath he plunges underneath the fabric and squeezes.

Hyunwoo’s breath hitches when the heat of his arousal and the chill of Hoseok’s hand collide. Hoseok blushes deep when he pulls him out, staring at the leaking cock in stunned silence.

From the accumulation of brief glimpses and fleeting glances, he’s been able to come up with the general idea of what Hyunwoo looks like. But, since the real thing is right here in front of him, he doesn’t have to think about the old image. He _can_ , however, marvel at just how nice it is - a solid mass in hand. Thick, wide girth with small veins on the underside. Perfect for his hands.

(Hoseok thinks he feels his mouth watering at the thought of having it in his mouth, but he ignores his thoughts and sets to getting Hyunwoo off quietly.)

Hoseok bites his lip, eyeing the younger as he gives a few experimental tugs, letting the pre-come slick him up. Hyunwoo’s eyes flutter closed and leans into the touches.

It’s sloppy and maybe a little desperate at first, only because Hoseok’s not used to this, but thankfully after a few strokes he gets comfortable, starts a rhythm even. It’s like getting himself off with Hyunwoo in mind, he figures, but the best part is that he doesn’t even have to imagine anymore. Hyunwoo is his to ruin.

As his hand speeds up so do the younger’s breaths, to the point of growing ragged and shallow. Hoseok can only watch, awed at the way Hyunwoo responds to the curl of his hand. He drags his palm hard down the shaft, squeezing when he reaches the base of the younger’s cock, and Hyunwoo arches involuntarily, voice raising. “ _Hoseok_ ,” he croons when said boy grips his way up again, thumbs his cockhead, running the pad right over the slit.

The older groans at the sound. If he thought kissing Hyunwoo was like ascending onto another plane - touching and hearing him is like transporting to a whole new dimension. A dimension where they’re the only two beings to exist and that’s all the matters.

He brushes his mouth against the other’s, breathing hard onto his lips, chuckling whenever he bends his wrist _just right_ and Hyunwoo gasps for air. _Fuck_ if this is isn’t hot. Hoseok thinks he may just come right there, no stimulation needed; Hyunwoo’s too beautiful, and the pleasure smeared across his face leaves him aching, yearning to turn the boy out and make him an even bigger mess than he already is.

With each passing second his strokes grow wildly erratic, and the creases on Hyunwoo’s forehead deepen. His muscles are tense around his torso, his moans increasing in volume, and Hoseok can tell he’s right on the edge, dangling off the precipice.

All it takes are a few good flicks of his wrist and the gentle whisper of his name and maybe a few dirty words, but before he knows it it - Hyunwoo’s coming undone before him, spasming wildly as a noise somewhere between ecstasy and death tumbles over his lips. He clenches his eyes shut when he releases, in spurts, all over Hoseok’s hand.

The come down is slower, much calmer. They exchange breath as Hoseok stares, stroking him lazily. It takes a minute, maybe two, but eventually Hyunwoo’s breathing stabilizes and his eyes flutter back open. Together they shift half-lidded gazes down to the older’s come-covered hand. Hoseok slips Hyunwoo back into his underwear and, in awed silence, brings wet fingertips to his nose. They swap questioning glances before he inhales.

Just like his personality, Hyunwoo’s smell is sweet. (He knows from Sex Ed that it’s because his diet is better than the average Joe’s, but Hoseok likes to think there’s just a natural correspondence between Hyunwoo’s perfect personality and his perfect _everything else_ .) His tongue darts across his lip, a force of habit most likely, as he stares at the liquid dribbling down his fingers, halfway to his palms. Hoseok locks eyes with Hyunwoo, _maybe_ shoots him a serious case of bedroom eyes in the process, as he sucks his fingers dry, all slow and deliberate.

(The sugary taste is there, but not without the underlying bite of salt and a warmth he never expected.)

Hoseok slides the last finger from his mouth with a gentle _pop!_ It astonishes Hyunwoo, if the slight resize of his eyes is anything to go by, but if he’s genuinely fazed he doesn’t say anything.

 

.

 

Whatever mess they made in Hyunwoo’s bed is long gone by the time the boy’s parents return from long days at work - and with the takeout the boys were promised. Life _kinda_ returns to the way it was before The Thing They Did. (That name’s on Hyunwoo, by the way.) They still power their ways through ten rounds of _FIFA_ and approximately four nights on _Five Nights at Freddy’s_ , and Hyunwoo still retains his quiet, observant nature.

Takeout consists of everything Hyunwoo and Hoseok love, as it always has. Hyunwoo shares with Hoseok when kimbap and dumplings are involved. They manage to make it through dinner like the normal, heterosexual young men Hyunwoo’s parents believe they are. The duo engages in conversation with them, explaining their day - _avoiding_ any- and everything related to The Thing, and all runs smoothly. But, as they try to ignore the childish instigations of footsie while seated at the dining table and try _not_ to stare too long at one another, Hoseok knows that things have changed - for the better.

Hyunwoo’s parents go to bed a few hours later, after the last of their food has been digested and the house is clean again. The boys really only have room enough to stomach half of a piece of cake, so they split a slice in the quiet of a darkened kitchen. Hoseok, feeling a bit frisky, smears icing across Hyunwoo’s lips and attempts to lick it off. Hyunwoo bursts into laughter when he feels the older’s tongue struggling to swipe away the sugary substance. Eventually Hoseok gives up and lets Hyunwoo take care of the rest before they rush up the stairs, giggling like little children.

“Hey,” Hyunwoo calls softly, when they’re back in the Safety Zone (which they came up with a few minutes after the birth of The Thing They Did). The faint sound of chillstep permeates the otherwise quiet air. Hoseok stares down at the cards he was dealt, feeling the slightest bit disturbed. They’re in the middle of a game of Rummy, and Hyunwoo is winning. He hums, casting a mildly nervous glance the younger’s way. “How long you think you gonna be staying?”

Hoseok never really talks over the length of his stays with his mother anymore. It’s practically ritual for him to stay with Hyunwoo eighty percent of the summer and at least twice a month during the school year. And, really, since he’s legal he can be out of the house as long as he wants, but he’s at least respectful about it. His mom needs to see him _sometimes_ and Hyunwoo’s parents need a break, too, so it’s best for both parties if he doesn’t overstay his welcome.

“Well - _insert lie here because I never said anything to her and plan to go home whenever your parents feel like kicking me out_ \- I told her the weekend.” A grin fights its way onto his face when he looks from his deck to Hyunwoo and back. “Why, how long you want me to stay?”

Hyunwoo’s lips twitch before giving way to a toothy grin. From the corner of his eye, Hoseok can see him rising onto his knees, prodding for something on the bed. There a jack on the board, and he’s got a ten and a queen, but -

_Click!_

He whips his head in the direction of the sound and finds Hyunwoo already in the middle of scrawling something down in his photobook. The stunned boy abandons his cards immediately and crawls closer, bumping noses with him as he slips the blank photo inside a pocket.

Hyunwoo pushes the book to him wordlessly, but he’s beaming. Taking up less than an inch of the space provided, logged in _red_ sharpie, is a small heart.

Hoseok tilts his head, prepared to shoot Hyunwoo a playful _really?_ But he doesn’t get the chance because the boy’s lips are on his way before. He lets out a surprised squeak, recoiling at the sudden contact, though it doesn’t take long for him to adjust and the kiss is well-received.

The third kiss definitely isn’t on the level of their first, not even their second - yet somehow Hoseok ends up on his back, card game completely tossed, with Hyunwoo pinning him to the carpet by the wrists. The kiss is light, chaste - all those poetic words that basically mean their lips graze each other for, like, three spine-tingling seconds.

Though, in retrospect, when they pull away, Hoseok figures they pull away changed men. “Forever?” Hyunwoo says but he doesn’t sound sure even if his eyes are the shape of crescents and gleaming bright. “Yeah, stay with me forever.” The smile is returned equally as shiny. Yeah, he’s sure.

It isn’t long before Hyunwoo feels skinny fingers working their way between his. The older cranes his neck to reach his face and pecks him a good one. “You need to be careful, babe,” he chuckles, inhaling the sweet scent he emits regardless of a shower. When he says that word, that _name_ , something fierce rises in the pit of his gut. Hyunwoo presses their foreheads together. “You’re gonna drown in all that cheese.”

The next thing heard all around the Son household is the sound of Hyunwoo’s obnoxious laughter, at least Hoseok promptly tells him to shut up. “Only if you call me ‘babe’ again.”

Hoseok obeys like he always will because he is Hoseok and Hyunwoo is Hyunwoo and he will always obey Hyunwoo, even for the most ridiculous things.

He kisses Hyunwoo a fourth time. When they pull away, he smiles and says in a voice as smooth as velvet:

“Babe.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> (lol don't die yet i got a christmas present for yall)


	4. extra!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One word: Gonjiam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (aka i think i'm funny and i need to work on my smut so there's a little bit of that too ok enjoy)

 

Yeah, things have definitely changed.

Hoseok can tell because he wakes up Saturday morning, _one_ , half naked and, _two_ , completely smothered. There’s a thick arm curled around him and a pretty fucking hot kid running hands all over his exposed skin, easing him back into consciousness.

Hoseok can also tell because getting up is a real struggle. He argues that he should stay wrapped up in Hyunwoo for eternity, but Hyunwoo counters that they’re supposed to meet their friends at Lotte World’s entrance in an hour. Hoseok casually raises his middle finger, metaphorically aiming at the guys in their group, before he nuzzles closer. He’s staying there with Hyunwoo.

(Not even ten seconds pass before Hoseok obeys him. But, still, his submission comes on the premise that the younger make him a nice bowl of cereal while he showers and feed him said bowl. Hyunwoo agrees, and by _agrees_ he means Hyunwoo flicks his forehead and he yelps in surprise, but it’s basically a deal.)

Hoseok showers, then Hyunwoo, and then they scarf down Cap’n Crunch and a few grapes in the kitchen while Mrs. Son makes lunch for herself. Before she departs for the hospital, she leaves money on the counter for them both. At half past eleven, they walk to the subway ten minutes away to catch a train headed for Songpa.

The group chat is exploding by the time they step off at 12:02PM. It’s an anxious Minhyuk demanding to know why his precious birthday boy is two minutes and thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty- _five_ -

 

 

> **12:03 prettymotherfucker** **_minhyuk stfu hes om hus wat_ **
> 
> **12:03 jackofalltrades** **_butch you stfu with your non spellin asd_ **
> 
> **12:03 suck1** **_"butch" “asd”ㅋㅋㅋㅋ_ **
> 
> **12:04 itsuknoho** **_!!!!language!!!!!!!!_ **
> 
> **12:05 suck1** **_coming from the prick whose un is literally ‘its u kno ho’_ **
> 
> **12:05 sharpgun** **_hyunwon i think you meant *on *his *way ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ_ **
> 
> **12:06 prettymotherfucker** **_gunhee i think you meant to fuck outta here with that big ass head of yours_ **
> 
> **12:06 prettymotherfucker** **_and spell my name right, cunt_ **
> 
>  

There’s a pause but Hoseok knows whatever’s going on isn’t over.

 

 

> **12:07 sharpgun** **_i’ll spell your name right when you suck my dick_ **
> 
> **12:07 prettymotherfucker** **_lol what dick_ **
> 
> **12:08 chickenwang** **_OOOOH BURNNNNNN_ **
> 
> **12:08 michingorilla** **_wrong chatroom jackoff_ **
> 
> **12:08 michingorilla** **_oops auotcorrect *jackoff_ **
> 
> **12:09 jackofalltrades** **_how tf does your phone catch “jackson” but not “autocorrect” omfg ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ_ **

 

His phone rumbles at _least_ five times. “Oh my fucking God!”

 

 

> **12:09 michingorilla** **_JESUS_ **
> 
> **12:09 michingorilla** **_JACKOFF_ **
> 
> **12:10 michingorilla** **_SONG GUNHEE WTF DID YOU DO TO MY KEYBOARD_ **
> 
> **12:10 sharpgun** **_dont look at me that was our little angle changkyunnie_ **
> 
> **12:10 kkukungie** **_don’t pull me into this mess_ **
> 
> **12:10 prettymotherfucker** **_angle??? ANGLE????? how’d you pass second grade w spelling like that asshat_ **
> 
> **12:11 sharpgun** **_CHAE HYUNGWON if you don’t gtfo ima bust a cap so far up your ass seal team 6 won’t even be able to find it_ **
> 
> **12:16 chickenwang** **_senpai notice my rap skills_ **
> 
>  

Jackson Wang proceeds to send every last bit of lyrical content from Jooheon and Gunhee’s mixtape while the rest of the bickering few fire shots at one another. It blows up Hoseok’s phone as they wait for passes at the ticket center. By the time they’ve actually entered, he gets so fed up with his left asscheek consistently vibrating every two seconds that he whips out his phone, prepared for the roast to end all roasts.

 

 

> **12:17 sexgodwonho** **_YALL_ **
> 
> **12:17 sexgodwonho** **_SHUT THE FUCK UP_ **
> 
> **12:19 sexgodwonho** **_WE CAN LITERALLY SEE YOU FUCKERS SITTING IN A CIRCLE LIKE THE LOSERS YOU ARE_ **
> 
> **12:19 sexgodwonho** **_GET UP AND USE YOUR DAMN PASSES_ **
> 
>  

They gather in the center of the park. Minhyuk practically tackles Hyunwoo like this is their first reunion since middle school and not since Thursday. "Ayy, there they are!" Gunhee’s pulls Hyunwoo into a bro hug. "It's about damn time, y'all got ghost on the group chat."

"Probably busy doing some really gay shit," Jooheon adds in, grinning and nudging Hyunwoo repeatedly until the older has to shove him off. Hyunwoo’s blushing redder than a beet.

Hoseok frowns. “The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Jooheon purses his lips and shrugs, choosing to hide behind Gunhee for protection, in case the older decides to lash out. Hoseok shoots daggers his way but otherwise stays quiet. (Later, in the line for bumper cars, he’ll ask Hyunwoo what Jooheon meant by his statement. Hyunwoo promises to talk to him about it later.)

They spend a few hours at Lotte World, riding the Viking and the spinning thing that scares the shit out of Hoseok. Kihyun presents Hyunwoo with the gift he forgot to bring to the party. Gunhee, self-proclaimed ice skating god, falls flat on his ass after they dare him to do a spin on the rink. Changkyun and Jooheon laugh at him the hardest from the sidelines.

The whole day is a struggle, really, for Hyunwoo and Hoseok - mostly because there’s something between them now so they have to watch themselves. Hoseok tries to keep his hands away from Hyunwoo as much as possible, going as far as to hang out with the rapline while the birthday boy lets Hyungwon and Kihyun love him.

After Lotte World, they sit in for an evening meal at McDonald’s, which makes their task even harder. It’s almost fifteen guys piled up in a combination of two tables, and Minhyuk just has to force him next to Hyunwoo because Minhyuk just doesn’t know. Though, if the look Hyungwon shoots him is anything to go by, their efforts to conceal this newfound _thing_ that they have are pretty much futile.

McDonald’s goes down the same as Lotte World, except Hoseok has a little bit more freedom than before to touch what’s his. Hyunwoo doesn’t seem to mind, even occasionally lets their hands rub together as they share barbecue sauce and laugh about Seokwon and Yoonho’s latest escapades as mall employees.

By seven o’clock the sun is halfway to the opposite hemisphere and the moon is rising outside their booth. Most of the guys also leave at this time - Kwangji, Yoosu, Yoonho, Seokwon, Jackson and Hyunwoo’s old friends from his previous high school - leaving the usual crew of of their favorite idiots.

As their rides take off into the night, Jooheon starts getting antsy, grabbing onto Gunhee’s arm and fidgeting every time someone mentions leaving the premises. He knows full well, just as they all do, what’s in store for his group next: _Gonjiam_.

It’s short for Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, which is supposedly one of the most haunted places in South Korea. Changkyun proposed it as a means of proving Jooheon really is a scaredy cat, but Jooheon wholeheartedly accepted the challenge despite knowing he would _most likely_ get the shits from just being anywhere near an abandoned psych ward.

They all leave together when Jooheon has stalled finishing his meal long enough, making sure to return the tables to their respective areas, and walk to the train station with bags of flashlights and walkie talkies in tow.

The ride is mostly silent, save for Jooheon, Kihyun, Hyungwon, and Minhyuk - the scaredest members of the group - who keep a nervous conversation going even as they arrive in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Once or twice Hyunwoo will grab his hand and squeeze it in reassurance because Hoseok’s a little unnerved as well, but for the most part they keep their eyes ahead.

All eight boys shuffle off the train silently, sharing nervous and excited glances. The maknae whips out his phone and leads them out of the neighborhood into a denser, greener part of the town with Hyunwoo, Hoseok, and Gunhee trailing close behind. At first they travel along dirt paths, little to no greenery around, but as they progress deeper into the forest - the grass rises from their ankles to their knees in a matter of paces. None of them have ever been, but Changkyun has friends who know the way from prior experience.

( _“Changkyun has friends? Wow.”_ Jooheon says in attempt, they easily recognize, to distract himself from his own fear. Changkyun calmly, _too_ calmly replies: _“If you weren’t my favorite hyung, I’d leave your ass in this forest to rot - we’ll see who has friends then.”_ Jooheon says no more. Even if he’s only fourteen, his glare speaks the age of someone in his twenties.)

It’s pitch black all around, a perfect opportunity to grab Hyunwoo’s hand. Hoseok, first checking to make sure no one could really see them, slowly slips his fingers into the younger’s hold. Hyunwoo looks his way, he can tell by the gentle falter in his step from lack of attention, before his grip tightens.

“Yo,” Jooheon harps from behind Gunhee. “What the hell are we even doing here, huh?”

Changkyun halts, causing everyone else to come to a standstill. When he whirls around, he’s got the flashlight pointing up at his chin. The light outlines only the lower half of his face, while the rest is covered in shadows. Hoseok thinks it does _not_ compliment well with the shit-eating grin he’s got going on. “We’ll talk about that when we get there.”

When he starts back up again, Hoseok steps forward and - _crunch!_

Instinctively, Hyunwoo squeezes his hand so hard he has to bite back a squeak. The entire group, including less-than-impressed Changkyun the Troll, freezes. Silence follows, then Jooheon squeaks - “What the _fuck_ was that?!”

He’s really glad they’re in the dark, else they would’ve seen him go purple out of sheer embarrassment. “I’m sorry!” he whimpers and Changkyun shines the light at him. He squints, bringing a hand up until the youngest brings down to his feet. He’d stepped on a fallen leaf.

“Shin Hoseok!” Minhyuk hisses.

“I said I was _sorry_!” Next to him he can hear the gentle chuckle that only belongs to Hyunwoo. His grip tightens slightly as they travel, a protective measure.

They travel a few more yards, scaling up a steep hill with Changkyun staring down at his phone constantly to make sure they don’t fall off a cliff or something else equally tragic. Finally, after descending into a valley, they reach a barbed fence with graffiti-marked warning signs plastered everywhere. It’s clear that what they’re about to do is highly _not_ recommended.

It’s the entrance to Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.

“Here we are,” Changkyun announces with a dramatic turn and more-than-unnecessary grin. “The building’s just up the road. The gates are rusted shut but somebody cut through the fence. Hole’s somewhere over there, if what Byunghwa and Jeongwook said is true - ” he points his light a little ways off. In one sweeping motion, they turn their heads. Just like Changkyun said, a gap in the fence waits beyond a small patch of weeds. From where Hoseok’s standing, it looks small, but if people were able to get through it before then he can get through it tonight. “Here are your walkies.” He turns his attention back to the maknae. “Get in pairs, no one goes alone.”

Changkyun tosses a device to every other person. When Jooheon catches his it nearly falls to the ground. “Great, a walkie talkie,” he deadpans, having gained control of it. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Nothing, really,” Changkyun says, but there’s this glint in his eye. “The building is pretty small, I heard, but these are for communication purposes. If you get the _genius_ idea to wander off and can’t find your way back, or if you hear or see something you think we might wanna check out. Just tell us where you are and we’ll try to find it when it’s our turn.”

“W-Wait, we’re not going together as a group?”

“Hell no - makes for too much stupid in one area. Stupidity attracts... _things_.”

“ _‘Things - ’_ ” Jooheon wheezes, _“He just - ‘things!’”_

Gunhee pats him on the shoulder, muttering quickly “prayer circle for Jooheon” before smiling wide. “It’s alright, man. If you die, I’ll say it was ‘cause you tripped on a two-by-four and broke your neck. Nothing ate you.”

Jooheon scowls at him.

They gather into groups of two; Jooheon and Gunhee, Hyungwon and Kihyun, Minhyuk and Changkyun, and - of course - Hoseok and Hyunwoo.

“God, if you’re listening,” Jooheon snivels as they gather supplies and walk to the fence, “I just want you to know that I am not responsible for the nudes in Gunhee’s phone.”

Noises and groans of disgust among other emotions ring throughout the air, followed by a distinct gagging noise from Minhyuk. “Tee em eye,” he says a moment after. Hoseok cringes as Hyunwoo leads him through the hole. So crude, those two.

Thankfully the moment comes and passes like the wind, and soon everyone’s attention is back on the trail of rocks before them.

It doesn’t take long to get to the hospital, just a small walk up some random incline in the earth, but when they do the fear starts to settle in each man, even  They don’t see the building immediately, as it’s covered cleverly by a stairwell and an assortment of trees and bushes. Changkyun stops them there, right before the slippery steepness that leads them up.

“This, gentlemen,” he says, Batman impersonation comin’ in clutch, “is where the fun begins.” They can hear Jooheon physically gulp, but he plays it off with a cough. Changkyun smirks in his direction before holding up a flashlight. “To prove, Lee Jooheon, that you’re not as much of a pussy as we think you are - _and_ that we’re all real men - each team is gonna spend ten minutes to explore the building. You’re free to roam as far as your eyes can see, but the rule is that you _have_ to back here when I call for you.”

“What happens if we’re not back?” Hyunwoo asks.

“We’re gonna assume you’re dead and call the cops.” Jooheon whines, eyes wide and frantic. _Cops_ . Cops are bad. They arrest people, they’ll arrest _them_ \- for being out late _and_ for trespassing.

The maknae snickers.

Hoseok tightens his grip around Hyunwoo’s hand, heart practically in his ears. He’s scared. He knows he’s scared, and Hyunwoo knows too if the pressure he feels in return says anything. He’s a fan of horror movies, but being scared shitless like this? Sign him the fuck out.

“So now that we’re clear, it’s time for the game to start.” Changkyun scratches at his nape. “Who wants to go first? Any takers?”

Hoseok’s definitely not about to bring any attention to himself. Hyunwoo isn’t either, he won’t let him. So they spend at least thirty seconds looking among themselves, trying to find the answer to the youngest’s question. Finally, after a seemingly heated internal debate, Hyungwon groans and steals the flashlight from Kihyun. “C’mon, Ki, let’s get this shit over with.”

The tallest in their group leads the way to the steps. Kihyun, suddenly quiet, follows behind closely, holding their walkie. Changkyun sets up the timer, and they watch as the pair struggle up the impossibly high steps. “They must’ve done this on purpose. No way in hell the patients had the Great Wall of China for legs.”

The remaining six look on in silence as they disappearing into the shrubs, listening to the distance between them grow in the form of fading footsteps.

There’s a pause, in which all they can hear are the sounds of creatures in the area making their presences known. Then -

 _“I swear to God,”_ Hyungwon gripes, voice crisp in each of their handhelds, _“If I see so much as a_ bone _, I’m leaving all of you here to die.”_

 _“Same,”_ Kihyun trails a second later. _“No church in the wild, boys; every man for himself.”_

“I bet Kihyun’s gonna be the first one screaming for his mom,” Gunhee snorts into his device.

There’s a creak, they can hear it all the way from where they are, and then a rough shove. Changkyun starts the timer. Hyungwon curses into the device, claiming the “door” is a lot harder to open. _“You gotta damn near kick it.”_

All goes well for their first few seconds inside the building. Hyungwon complains about the smell, and Kihyun’s voice wavers in and out with each time he presses the _talk_ button from fear. Hoseok thinks, based on their experience, that it won’t be too bad. But he always has tendency to think to soon, Hyunwoo can attest to that.

 _“Yah, ya - aye,”_ Kihyun stutters, clearly frightened by something. _“Hold on.”_ Hyungwon does as he’s told, and then they chuckle. Hyungwon hums lowly; Hoseok can just imagine the disgust on his face. _“It feels like something will drop if we open it.”_

There’s a grunt, a squeal, and a pang.

Kihyun shrieks first, loud and completely gut-curdling, and like the domino effect it sends them all into a fit of disbelief. Jooheon’s jaw falls off and Hoseok brings a trembling hand to his chest, whining. “Are you guys okay?” Minhyuk’s voice cracks as he speaks.

It takes a minute for them to gather whatever’s left of their bearings. _“Yeah,”_ Hyungwon replies, _“We’re fine.”_

“What happened?” mutters Hoseok, who looks to Hyunwoo in search of an answer. Hyunwoo repeats the question into their walkie.

 _“Agh,”_ Hyungwoo pants. _“Something fell. Looks like an old brick.”_

Jooheon pulls a roaming Gunhee back to their circle. His voice trembles when he asks, not even joking, “You sure you didn’t just shit that out?”

_“Well, I mean - my ass isn’t bleeding so. I think I’m okay?”_

“I think there’s another path a little ways down,” Gunhee says suddenly, voice distant like something’s captured his attention. They can’t see his face in the shadows cast by his hood. That scares Hoseok.

“Stay here,” Hyunwoo commands, already sensing the boy’s ready to bounce in search of something to get into.

Changkyun’s voice crackles in all of their devices. “Kihyun, how deep are you guys?”

 _“All up in them walls, bitch,”_ he replies, laughing. Another group-wide groan.

“Son of a - where’s my holy water? Kihyun’s about to get a deep cleanse when he comes back.”

_“No, seriously, guys - we’re walking through the walls. There’s a hole ‘bout the size of Gunhee’s head when you come down the first hall.”_

“Let me live!” Gunhee cries at the expense of everyone’s amusement. Changkyun warns that they have a little less than eight minutes remaining.

The rest of their time runs pretty smoothly. Hyungwon and Kihyun only get to explore a few of the first few rooms, occasionally letting out a yelp of surprise when they find an artefact or when Kihyun reads something creepy on the walls. Otherwise, they make it out fine, sliding down the slope of the steps and dusting themselves off.

The duo high five triumphantly and Changkyun nods as he and Minhyuk prepare for their trip. “We’ll be back, guys,” the older promises when they get all the way to the top of cliff thing. Changkyun says nothing, just clicks a button on the flashlight to light things up better before disappearing into the darkness.

Only his premature, adolescent voice can be heard in the next few seconds. _“Did you guys take the front entrance?”_

“Yup.”

_“Okay, we’re gonna hit the back.”_

“I bet Hoseok hyung likes it that way,” Jooheon chortles next to them. Hoseok feels a sliver of something opposite of amusement rise from the pit of his stomach. He doesn’t like the way Jooheon keeps joking about them, like he knows anything about him and Hyunwoo.

Which is - _fine_ , or whatever. He has no problem with them knowing, he’s pretty sure they’re already starting to catch on, what with the way Hoseok’s giving them away by clinging to Hyunwoo like the boy’s a lifeforce. Plus - Hyungwon’s stares are too lingering, and the little knowing glance he receives from Minhyuk once or twice every so often make it clear.

But still. Hoseok would prefer for them to publicize the relationship rather than the words be hassled out by a hormonal, attention-seeking Lee Jooheon.

Hyunwoo’s glare is fierce, even Hoseok can feel it and he can barely make out the boy’s face. “Shut up.”

“Sorry, hyung.”

 

.

 

Gunhee trails his light all across the courtyard in search of anything interesting. There’s moss and mold and a whole nother world of vegetation he’s not to keen on disturbing for the sake of his and his friends’ lives.

(Changkyun and Minhyuk’s trip went off without a hitch and continued without a hitch until Minhyuk squeaked at the sight of his own shadow.)

It’s Jooheon’s and Gunhee’s turn to go, and Jooheon isn’t too happy about that.

Afraid his screams might actually get them caught, Changkyun does them all a favor and starts the timer as soon as the boys get to the top of the stairs.

It isn’t even ten seconds into the building and scared little Jooheon starts freestyling. Gunhee laughs in the distance. Hoseok listens on, amused, as the boys’ high tones come together like one smooth wave.

Things are going well, even Jooheon says so. Gunhee claims they’re in the very back of the building, near a small hut. Jooheon starts complimenting what he describes as a “pretty straight jacket” and they all more or less cringe in disgust.

Hoseok’s about to ask how much time they have left because now he’s starting to get a little anxious in wait for his turn. But before he can start his question the walkies squeal and the only thing they hear is the shrill _“holy fuck, Gunhee - hold me! Bad shit!_ Baaad _shit! Nopenopenope! I am_ not _here for this shit! Sign me the_ fuck _out!”_ followed by Gunhee’s high pitched cackles and the sound of ragged breath.

“The _hell’s_ going on?” Changkyun frowns.

Just like Hyungwon and Kihyun before them, it takes a minute. Gunhee struggles to leech the portable away from a shocked Jooheon - _“Yah! Pissbaby the Seventeenth, give me the goddamn thing!”_

Jooheon whimpers in response, then wails again after a vicious-sounding wave of squeaks come from beyond them. “His poor lungs,” Hoseok grimaces, “They’re probably on ten right now.” They can all hear him from where they stand and in the devices in their hands. The boy’s screams are unintelligible, and he’s sure Jooheon isn’t even speaking Korean, but the fear is definitely real and definitely present in Jooheon.

 _“He - ”_ Jooheon howls. _“There was a - hey!”_ A pang. _“He stepped on a rat’s tail and incited the wrath of its entire fucking family.”_ None of them know how to feel about that, whether they should laugh or cringe in disgust. _“How much time we got?”_

“At the rate Jooheon’s lungs are practically disappearing, I’d say two minutes tops.”

_“Be serious, Kyun.”_

“Four minutes.”

Kihyun bursts into laughter. “He’s so fucking wrecked.”

And, yes, wrecked Jooheon is - because the pair doesn’t even last half a minute after a time check before he’s running for the hills, screaming _“Rat carcass!”_ like it’s something Hoseok really needs to hear when his turn is about to begin.

“We’ll take another route,” Hyunwoo reassures in his ear when Gunhee breezes by, calling for his distraught friend. Hoseok nods slowly.

“Twenty minutes to nine,” Changkyun sighs a second later. The older hyungs look to him with questioning faces. “I have to be home by then, so we’re gonna cut your time in half.”

Hoseok’s perfectly okay with that.

He digs blunt nails into the back of Hyunwoo’s hand as the younger leads him quietly. As they climb up the stairs, giggles are heard behind them. He turns to face Hyungwon, or rather - his flashlight. The other four are standing below, smiles as bright as Orion’s belt. Hoseok scoffs loud and lets Hyunwoo pull him up.

Kihyun grins wider at the expression. _“Ten bucks says they did something within the last forty-eight hours. Fifty says it’s because Hyunwoo’s legal.”_

Hoseok can hear Hyungwon squeak, laughing. _“Why else would Hoseok be acting like he’s got a dick up his butt every time somebody mentions him and Hyunwoo in the same breath?”_

 _“Really? I thought he was like that because he_ didn’t _have a dick up his butt, more specifically_ Hyunwoo’s _dick.”_

Hoseok cries out into the walkie. “We can _hear_ you, y’know!”

_“What? We’re just placing bets.”_

“Okay - well - _gamble_ elsewhere, please.” They reach the building after a short trek down a tiled path full of greenery. “Jesus, this is scary!”

Gonjiam looks smaller than Hoseok thought it would, but it’s just as terrifying - especially in the dark. His heart picks up the pace almost as soon as he lays eyes on the dark entrance. He and Hyunwoo agree to take the route that Kihyun and Hyungwon took because it seems the easiest.

Hyunwoo practically drags him up a flight of steps, less to the metal door. Hoseok groans, loud and not-so-proud, “No, I can’t go in” as he attempts to wiggle out of the boy’s grasp.

But they have to do this - for the title, for the dignity, for Hyunwoo’s right to say he did not chicken out of his own birthday scare later on down the road.

Next thing he knows he’s completely surrounded by darkness and Changkyun’s warning that they have four minutes left.

Hyunwoo is quick and efficient when it comes to walking through the rooms, examining what they can with what little light source they have. They pass by what looks to be a communal shower. There’s overturned benches and rotted wooden boards strewn across the floor. Hoseok thinks he spots a messily sprayed _KILL_ written on one of the walls, but he leaves it alone for the sake of his mental state.

He jumps at the sound of a door creak - Hyunwoo’s taking them up another level - but keeps his voice low in spite of all the adrenaline rushing through his body. “O-Oh my God, oh my - ”

“It’s alright, baby, it’s just the door.” He just called him _baby_ holy fu -

 _Breathe, Hoseok_. “Okay, okay - I’m okay now.”

“Watch your step.”

“Y-Yeah.” They take a small trek up.

All of it happens in a matter of two minutes, so they have enough time to look at a few more rooms. A couple times even Hyunwoo jumps out of his skin, though his wavering voice remains calm - probably just to keep _him_ calm.

The second level is just as silent as the first, save for the near-deafening drone made possible by thick stone walls and broken windows. The building itself is in far worse condition than he thought, more evident by the second level’s disgusting appearance - but it’s been decades since this place last saw a janitor, so.

As they travel, Hoseok stares at the walls in attempt to find anything interesting. “Wait,” Hoseok says after catching something scribbled lightly on the walls.

Hyunwoo pauses, slides the light back to the wall behind them. “What?”

“It says something,” he squints. “Lemme see the walkie.” He takes the device before Hyunwoo can really give it. “Did anyone make it to the second level?”

 _“Me and Changkyun did but we didn’t get far,”_ Minhyuk replies slowly. Hoseok hums, reading the message into the mic:

" _‘Frog, good to meet you, the black weeping willow. Not...coming, though...intended to come?’_ What the fuck is this? _'_ _May all of this hospital receive a curse.’_ ”

 _“What the hell’s that s’posed to mean?”_ Gunhee’s voice comes in clear, startling them both.

“It’s a mental asylum, if you know what that means then we have a problem.”

 _“Right.”_ Pause. _“I found Jooheon, by the way.”_

_“Where’d he run off to?”_

_“The main road.”_ There’s some shuffling. _“I’m surprised he remembered how to get back.”_

There’s a dripping noise coming from somewhere above, probably cracks in the ceiling. “You’d be surprised what information you retain when your adrenaline’s through the roof,” Hyunwoo mumbles absently as he looks to the ceiling and at the walls.

They pass room after room until they’re at the end of the hall. _“One minute left, see what you need to see and let’s scram.”_

Hoseok’s still a little creeped, but he’s ready to go. Hyunwoo seems to notice when they swap confirming glances. He clicks the button on the walkie and sighs out, “We’re done.”

 

.

 

When the duo returns, they collectively walk back to the main road where Jooheon and Gunhee are crouched down, calming one another after the big scare. On the way to the subway station, Jooheon vows to never let himself be pressured into doing such a thing again. Though everyone laughs at his admission, the sentiments are there that they feel the same. They’re probably not going to do that again.

It’s nine by the time they say their goodbyes at the station by Hyunwoo’s house. Changkyun gets off way earlier, though, claiming to know a “shortcut” to his house from the stop in Songpa.

When they make it out of their respective station, Hoseok notices that the night air is cooler without the burden of the sun, stars are bountiful, and all is calm. It’s the perfect end to a perfect day with a perfect guy, and he would have it no other way.

As they walk, hand in hand, back to the house, Hyunwoo muses aloud, “You’d think he’s a sewer rat with the amount of ‘shortcuts’ he knows.” They share a laugh, lighthearted and carefree like everything is during the summertime.

They reach the house at a decent time, nothing Hyunwoo’s mom would freak out over - especially since she’s sleeping like a rock upstairs. The boys slip in quietly, with Hyunwoo leading the way to the next level and Hoseok trying his hardest not to let another giggle slip. Something about being forced into silence is amusing.

When they reach the hallway, Hoseok announces softly that he needs a shower. There’s a pungent smell invading his nose that he desperately needs to get out of his skin. Hyunwoo understands, probably needs one as well because the musty scent floating between them definitely isn’t coming from Hoseok. But before he can release the older boy’s hand, Hoseok’s got them switched - with his hand on Hyunwoo’s and tugging lightly.

His suggestion is clear, or at least - he _hopes_ it is. Hoseok’s still working on the body language thing.

The little smile he receives is answer enough, and before poor Hyunwoo can fathom what’s happening - he’s being dragged off into the bathroom.

 

.

 

(About thirty minutes later, a dazed Hyunwoo stumbles out of the bathroom, towel barely wrapped around his waist. “We’ll have to try that again,” Hoseok murmurs behind him, licking his lips. “When the floor isn’t so slippery.”)

 

.

 

“What’s gotten into us?” Hoseok chuckles, crawling over Hyunwoo, who’s staring at his phone with mild interest. A moment of silence passes before the younger boy sends him a questioning glance. “I mean, every since The Thing We Did, we’ve been going at each other like - ” he bites his lip, blushing “ - rabid bunnies?”

The younger boy hums knowingly. He’s been pondering this, too, it seems. “I guess it’s just us releasing years’ worth of sexual tension. In the span of, like, two days.” Which is actually pretty true. Hoseok won’t lie and say he started thinking of Hyunwoo sexually the moment he turned eighteen because - he didn’t. Ever since he was a freshman, when he was only _thirteen,_  he’d been thinking of Hyunwoo in worse ways than people would like to think. And, judging by the faint red dusting his cheeks, Hyunwoo’s guilty of it, too.

The immense urge to kiss the blush right off his squishy cheeks explodes in the pit of his gut. And the good thing about this feeling is that he can freely act upon it without the risk of ruining his relationship with Hyunwoo. Hoseok hums in agreement as he snuggles closer to his chest. “Felt like eons trying to get my feelings out,” he whispers, bringing dry lips to the boy’s soft skin.

From this position, they somehow end up spooning with Hoseok as Little Spoon and Hyunwoo as Big. “Are we really that bad at communicating?” The latter’s voice vibrates his nape, sending more than enough shudders down Hoseok’s spine.

“I guess so,” he returns with, sliding a foot down his calf. Hyunwoo’s hand trail gently down his belly. “We’re gonna have to work on that eventually, yeah?”

Hyunwoo hums with a smile. There’s a pause, a split second delay where Hyunwoo’s hand stills right on the junction and Hoseok finds himself staring at the wall ahead of him. “Or,” Hyunwoo begins, breaking the moment slowly, “We _could_ try...now?” It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that he’s suggesting they doing something again, but the question is _what_ . “Yesterday…,” he swallows loud, “The Thing We Did. I mean, I never - got _you_ off.”

…

Hoseok doesn’t know whether to blush from what Hyunwoo’s getting at or to turn over and squish his cheeks because he’s so shy about this and it’s so damn adorable.

The idea settles right at the end of his spine and sparks a bonfire of feelings - lust, pride, _love_ \- because it sounds like a chance to be touched by Hyunwoo. And if that’s what this really is, if Hyunwoo’s not just saying things, then Hoseok would be happy to accept.

“... _You_ wanna get me off?” he asks, just to confirm.  He stutters, a timid “y-yeah,” and Hoseok nods out of habit.

An unbelievable quiet follows, like Hyunwoo’s still waiting for a verbal “yes,” one he knows he shouldn’t need because _communication_ , they’re working on communication here. But, for the sake of a response, Hoseok wiggles his hips against the dip provided by Hyunwoo’s crotch. Things seem to shift things into gear.

Despite seeming so shy about it before, Hyunwoo doesn’t waste any time shoving a hand down his pants. “You’re not wearing anything,” he notes against Hoseok’s neck, like this is the first day of science class and they’re writing down observations. _Cute_ , the older boy thinks before his thoughts turn south because of the hand wrapping around the base of his dick.

He jumps, eyes widening to the size of the moon above. He hadn’t been ready for him to do anything _this_ quick, but Hyunwoo seems like he’s been plotting this since yesterday because he’s not slowing down for anything. His hand is all-encompassing and rough and everything he’s ever imagined in his dreams.

Ironically enough, when he finds his own rhythm, he pulls at Hoseok so slowly Hoseok thinks he might cry. “Ah, _Hyunwoo_ ,” he moans low but audible. The boy hums in tandem, already mouthing at his neck, and drags his large palm down his shaft.

Hoseok bites back whine because it’s sweet, _sweet_ torture in his act of going so painfully slow.  There’s a dormant volcano finally rising to consciousness deep within him, finally getting stroked and ushered into being heated and ready to explode - but Hyunwoo is the only thing between him and eruption.

He groans deep in his throat when the boy’s hand curls. There’s a pooling, past all the knots and the heat, in the pit of his gut. Nerve endings seem to expand, a spark of something or another seems to rise. Hyunwoo’s grip is tight as it slides up and down his member, and Hoseok really wants to cry.

It’s too much and too little all at the same time.

He can feel himself losing touch with normality as stimulation overrides control and things go hazy. Hyunwoo’s pace stays the same, oh so painfully slow as his hand slicks up and down, stroking Hoseok lazily, but the torture is so sweet and so sinful he just wants to let go.

“ _Hyunwoo_ \- ” he whimpers “ - please, I need - ” More than once he tries to get the boy going. His hips are already starting to twitch into his hand, trying to warrant more friction than he’s receiving. But Hyunwoo’s diligent in his strokes.

“No,” Hyunwoo affirms every time he begs. Every time he has to reject Hoseok’s pleas, his hand slows and nearly wrings him dry.

“God, you’re _horrible_ ,” he pants, clenching his eyes shut as he thrusts into the curl of Hyunwoo’s fingers. He honestly sounds like he’s swallowed glass. Hyunwoo emits a low chuckle, pressing them flush together and rotating his hips. Hoseok’s three seconds away from mouthing off but the boy releases his cock with an even ruder snort and he instead cries into his arm, moaning for the hand to come back. If Hyunwoo going slow was bad, this is _worse._

There’s some shifting behind him - something soft hits the floor - and then Hyunwoo’s back onto him. Next thing Hoseok knows he feels Hyunwoo’s engorged cock pulsing wildly against bare ass.

“Fuck, Woo, I - ” he cuts off at the feel of his  with a drawn out mewl nearly an octave higher than his speaking voice because Hyunwoo has changed his pace, tightened his fist around Hoseok’s length like letting go would signal the end of the world. And he fists and fists and _fists_ until Hoseok has to turn his head into the pillow to muffle himself.

It’s the paradigm shift of the century, the one he’s been waiting for since he first felt that sinful hand, the one where Hyunwoo pumps him with a newfound vigor. It’s heaven and hell in one switch, the pain and pleasure intensified as Hyunwoo circles sharp hips into his behind like a scene from Dirty Dancing. “Is this what you wanted?” he asks in an abnormally rough voice. His breath has the hairs at the end of Hoseok’s neck flare up.

He’s too far gone from the hand alone that his mouth barely makes out a _yes_ . The throb of Hyunwoo’s cock sliding across his ass cleft makes him lose all forms of cohesion in his brain. He wants to come, _needs_ to - it’s too much and he’s pretty sure he’s gonna burn out his nervous system from being on edge for too long. “I’m gonna - ” he chokes up as the rush of endorphins practically drown his voice out.

The cross doesn’t last long, because Hyunwoo soon slows his hand as if only to give him a taste, and the words Hoseok were about to say nearly come out as a howl. He stares at the wall, stunned and highly in need of an orgasm, before he feels himself being rolled onto his back.

It only gets worse when Hyunwoo lowers onto him. Their cocks press together between them and it’s a whole new level of _holy fuck_. Hyunwoo’s skin against his own gives him a shock like he’s fallen into icy waters, but it’s warm - oh so warm - and when Hyunwoo starts to move Hoseok almost comes again.

The fervor from before translates into something else, something sweet and slow. “Oh my God, _Hyunwoo_ ,” he manages. _Where the hell did he_ learn _this?_ The boy hovering over him smiles, thrusting languid and lazy to meet the lift of his hips. The sudden change of rhythm drives him wild, but if Hyunwoo’s trying to expedite his orgasm then he’s succeeding in every way possible.

Together they dance, slotted perfectly, building up that excruciatingly slow burn until it tosses them right over the edge. Hyunwoo’s every backward rock meeting each of Hoseok’s forward rolls. Hoseok’s arms scraping down his back in attempt to hold onto something, _anything_. Connecting up top, at the lips, and Hoseok’s entire world exploding.

Hoseok comes in stripes not even a split second after the kiss. He tenses and arches, a spike in his system, and then moans into Hyunwoo’s mouth, chanting praises of _yes_ and _Hyunwoo_ almost religiously until every bit of him is released onto the boy’s stomach.

Hyunwoo doesn’t last long, either. Suddenly, in the middle of passionate liplock, he pulls off Hoseok’s lips and buries his face in the junction of the boy’s neck and shoulder, emitting moans of ecstasy as his thrusts against him grow desperate. His grip around Hoseok’s wrist tightens. Hoseok’s moans get a little bit louder, too, to the point of him having to bite into the younger’s shoulder. The worst possible ending to this glorious affair would waking his parents.

With a few more rocks, Hyunwoo’s spilling out, whining “ _fuck_ ” on repeat as the spike comes and his knees buckle beneath him. He collapses atop Hoseok, arms trapping him to the bed.

For a minute they stay just like that, with Hyunwoo’s breath dampening his neck and Hoseok running blunt nails up his back, waiting for him to regain control of himself.

When Hyunwoo comes to, he rolls onto his side and pulls his boxers back on. Hoseok lazily pulls his sweat back up, remaining on his back. Hyunwoo’s the one that fills the space at his side, even throws his leg over the boy’s thigh and aligns them.

They kiss when their eyes meet, something that’s been happening a lot lately (but Hoseok isn't complaining), and he runs a finger across Hyunwoo’s jawline, admiring the view. His own personal light show.

Hyunwoo nuzzles into his chest. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He weaves fingers through his dark locks.

“You remember how you asked me what I wished for for my birthday?”

“Well, I only asked you on Thursday so.” Hyunwoo purses his lips and smiles. “Yeah, why?

Hyunwoo slides a finger down his midriff. He mumbles softly, “Do you still wanna know what it was?”

“But I thought you didn't wanna tell me because it would ruin something?”

Hyunwoo nods. “That was before The Thing We Did. I think...I'm okay with saying it now.”

“O-oh…” _Okay._

Hyunwoo cranes his neck to look at him. “I wished for you as a birthday present.” Hoseok falters in his ministrations. _What?_ “Like, I want you except - ” his voice literally cracks “ - I don’t _just_ want you - for my birthday, I mean.” Hoseok can’t believe it. “I want you today and tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.” _Him._ “I just want you.” Hyunwoo _wished_ for him because he wanted to have him that badly. “I’ve always wanted you. Only you.” Hyunwoo’s always wanted him. “Is this love? Like, am I too young to love, or can I say that I love you? ‘Cause, I mean, I _do_ , but if you’re not ready for that then - ”

“Oh, shut up, you cheeseball,” he laughs, ecstatic beyond words, and pulls Hyunwoo into another kiss, and another and another and another until Hyunwoo’s laughing against his lips too, returning his mumbled “I love you”s with just as much fervor as he’s able to produce.

Hoseok knows this much should be obvious by now, given that they’ve literally just gotten each other off. But they’ve never expressed in words how much like feel for each other and how bad it’s gotten. This is the first verbal confession. This is the first proclamation of love. And his heart has never any warmer than now.

“Oh _God_ ,” Hoseok breathes when they finally pull off each other. He thinks he may feel some moisture in his eyes, but he’s going to ignore it for now. “For the longest time, I honestly believed you didn’t like me.”

Hyunwoo frowns, stroking his cheek. “Who put that lie in your head?”

His smile fades as quickly as it’s born. “You.”

“Well, you’re an idiot for believing me, okay?” His thumb puts some pressure on his bottom lip.

“I know, but still.” Hoseok grins, unable to contain himself from smashing their lips together again. “I let that get in my way. I’m sorry, Woo.”

“I’m sorry, too - for not growing a pair and just telling you.”

He buries his face into Hyunwoo’s soft hair, inhaling the scent of vanilla and milk and honey. It’s comfortable, this is comfortable, _he’s_ comfortable. “So does this qualify us as boyfriends? Are we, liking, dating now?”

Hyunwoo snorts into his shirt, tightening around his body like a snake. Hoseok can feel the smile he’s beaming into his shirt. His voice is muffled and his exhaustion rings clear, “I think we’ve been dating since we were, like, five, okay - _yes_.” Hoseok nods at that, satisfied. He palms the back of Hyunwoo’s head, inhaling his scent once more. Hyunwoo was his when they were kids. Hyunwoo is his now.

And it’s easy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bye im done with this shit
> 
> (lol jk i have like 38482094 sequels and spinoffs for this please expect them soon)


End file.
